Reflecting on patient care and health disparities during COVID-19

Anesthesiologist and critical care physician Sharma Joseph, MPH ’22, spoke about her journey in medicine, racial disparities in health care—including the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minority communities—and how minority patients can advocate for themselves, especially during the pandemic, in a June 11, 2020 article in Coverage, a news service of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

At Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Joseph cares for the sickest patients in the hospital—many of whom are COVID-19 patients.

“The pandemic has given me a new appreciation for life, and for what we have, because in an instant, things can take a dramatic and unexpected turn,” said Joseph. “It’s also given me a new appreciation for the importance of patient education and advocacy, which are key in addressing disparities.”

Read the Coverage article: On life, death, and pain