June 2021 | Issue 3 | Page 3
During my learning process in how to build trust and bridge the gap to reach minority communities , I began following the work and research of both Dr . Elk and Dr . Bullock , both “ giants ” in my field of medicine . I reached out to Dr . Bullock to see how we could build a partnership to have our learners work together and I reached out to Dr . Elk to learn how to participate in her research and see if we could bring her innovative approach to my community . It became a natural fit for the three of us to collaborate and apply for the RWJ grant to support this partnership .
Throughout this process , I have felt that my perspective and feedback were just as important as my colleagues and their academic research teams . Even through the grant writing process , I felt my concerns , interests , and needs were equally addressed as was theirs and their teams . I look forward to see what future goals we will accomplish together !
Christine Khandelwal , DO
VP of Education and Strategic Outreach Transitions LifeCare
Dr . Bullock : I echo the sentiments of Dr . Christine Khandelwal , having met Dr . Ronit Elk at the California State University Shirley Institute for Palliative Care and then , later at Duke University , as we convene with national thought leaders to address issues of disparities in hospice and palliative care with faith leaders of Black Churches .
Because of the intersectionality of our research interests in racial equity and community-based interventions , we vowed to partner on a future project . Our mutual respect for the person-centeredness of each other ’ s work and the commitment to improving African American patients ’ outcomes with aims to address systemic racism and create access to concordant care , Dr . Khandelwal became the conduit the research that we would co-create .
My work with Dr . Ronit Elk on the project to advance “ Respecting Cultural Values and Addressing Systemic Racism : Impact of An African American Community-Developed Training Program on Hospice Clinicians ,” has been incredibly rewarding . She is a known leader with a voice in the field of hospice and palliative care that is resounding the African American community , with clinicians , patients and community leaders . To be able to draw upon the expertise and passion of Dr . Elk in health disparities and palliative care in designing community-based interventions and services was profound .
Dr . Elk , a community-based researcher , Dr . Christine Khandelwal , a palliative care physician and I , a licensed clinical social worker , are on this journey together to extend and expand upon the work that we have cared about deeply for so long . The development and submission of our proposal to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Karen Bullock , PhD
School of Social Work , Head John A . Hartford Faculty Scholar Journal of Social Work in Endof-Life & Palliative Care , Co- Editor , North Carolina State University
has launched our interdisciplinary research partnership , as a team effort that will help to close a gap in knowledge , practice wisdom and expertise focused on historically underserved patient populations .