The Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta is collaborating with the Association of Black Cardiologists and the American Heart Association to create a cardiovascular disease registry for African Americans. The new registry will import data directly from electronic health records enabling researchers to track trends and develop effective treatments for African American heart disease patients.
Barbara Hutchinson, president of the Association of Black Cardiologists, stated that “a comprehensive registry dedicated to addressing healthcare disparities among African American patients is long overdue. This is a step forward in engaging African Americans in clinical studies and reducing the substantial gap in morbidity and mortality that currently exists for our patient population.” Dr. Hutchinson is a native of Tobago and a graduate of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad. She earned her medical degree at the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in cardiovascular pharmacology at Howard University. Dr. Hutchinson is the managing partner of Chesapeake Cardiac Care.
Elizabeth Ofili, senior associate dean of clinical and translational research at the Morehouse School of Medicine, will lead the registry project. She said that “the registry will address critical gaps in the quality of healthcare for African Americans and other underserved patients.” Dr. Ofili received her medical degree at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria. She holds a master of public health degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Dr. Ofili is past president of the Association of Black Cardiologists.
