Reducing Healthcare Disparities: Q&A With Quoc-Dien Trinh, MD, MBA

Female doctor showing tablet to black male patient in hospital bed

As part of the United Against Racism initiative, Mass General Brigham implemented outreach programs across the system to reduce healthcare disparities. Quoc-Dien Trinh, MD, MBA, discusses the program he co-founded and the research his team is doing to improve care for people of color at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

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Biodegradable Implantable Device Developed for Intravesical Therapy of Bladder Disorders

3D rendering of human bladder anatomy highlighted orange

Implantable devices for drug delivery to the bladder require surgical implantation and removal. Scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have invented a biodegradable ring-shaped implantable device (BRID) for long-term and local drug delivery inside the bladder that does not require a retrieval procedure.

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Brigham Researchers Develop Efficient Method to Generate Ureteric Bud, First Human Functional Collecting Duct Principal and Intercalated Cells

Doctor holds anatomical model of a human kidney, pointing to it while seated at desk

Creating kidney organoids for preclinical research poses a challenge due to their complex architecture. Brigham researchers have developed an efficient method for generating functional ureteric bud and collecting ducts organoids, which drive the growth and radial organization of the developing kidney.

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Predictors of Healthcare Spending Identified in Patients With Gout Using Urate-lowering Therapy

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Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital identified three distinct groups of gout patients according to their patterns of total spending on health care. The team provides information on identifying patients with gout who could benefit from interventions to reduce long-term spending.

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Operative Time Influences Rate of Complications After Radical Cystectomy

Blue rendering with urinary system anatomy highlighted including kidneys and bladder

Radical cystectomy (RC) is a complex procedure requiring the urinary system’s reconstruction. Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers, including Lorine Haeuser, MD, and Matthew Mossanen, MD, MPH, report higher complication rates after both extremely short and extremely long RC procedures.

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Work Relative Value Units Correlate Well With Mean Operative Time in Multiple Specialties

Close up of three medical professionals operating on patient

Surgeons commonly voice the opinion that work relative value units (wRVUs) do not accurately quantify surgeon workload or determine appropriate reimbursement. Brigham researchers investigated and found wRVUs correlate well with mean operative time for the most common surgical procedures across various specialties.

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Tiny Devices, Big Insights: A New Way to Predict Drug Response in Prostate Tumors

Researcher looking at microscope

Brigham researchers are closer to being able to predict a patient’s response to multiple prostate cancer therapies at once, with an implantable and retrievable device about the size of a grain of rice. Oliver Jonas, PhD, the inventor of the device, discusses its development and path to regulatory approval.

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Some U.S. Labs Do Not Systematically Report Globozoospermia

Close up of microscope with petri dish for in vitro fertilization

In a nationwide survey sent to in vitro fertilization and andrology clinic laboratory directors, Brigham researchers identified a gap between the ability of U.S. laboratories to recognize globozoospermia, a rare cause of male factor infertility, and the extent to which they report it to the clinician.

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New Brigham Center for Transgender Health Aims to Lead the Field

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The Brigham has launched an academic center for the healthcare needs of transgender and gender-diverse people. Devin O’Brien-Coon, MD, MS, clinical director and surgical co-director, discusses the impetus for founding the Center for Transgender Health and what he expects its multidisciplinary team will accomplish.

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New Tool Assists in the Evaluation of Abdominal Pain After Robotic-assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy

Close up of doctors' hands holding a laparoscopic instrument in surgical setting

The Brigham’s Venkat M. Ramakrishnan, MD, PhD, and colleagues are the first to systematically assess residual gas (RPP) with CT after laparoscopy. They presenta tableto help clinicians determine whether RPP at a particular time point after robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) is in the expected range.

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