October 8: Ernest Just Prize Lecture at Avery, “Adventures and Misadventures in Understanding the Racial Disparities in the Risk of Stroke,” George Howard - College of Charleston Libraries

Ernest Just Prize Lecture: “Adventures and Misadventures in Understanding the Racial Disparities in the Risk of Stroke,” George Howard, PhD, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Avery Research Center, 6:00 pm
Co-sponsored by the Medical University of South Carolina

The black-to-white disparity in the risk of stroke is a major component of the cluster of cardiovascular diseases that are the primary contributors leading to a 5-year difference in life expectancy in African Americans compared to whites. Despite a 200% to 300% higher risk of stroke between the ages of 45 to 64 in African Americans compared to whites, there is little data providing insights to why this disparity exists. In this lecture, Dr. Howard will review what is known about the health disparities in strokes, describe current efforts to provide insights (including the REGARDS study (Reasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke)), and will discuss recent findings that may guide efforts to reduce these disparities.

Dr. George Howard is a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. His research emphasizes observational studies of cardiovascular epidemiology with a focus on understanding and reducing disparities in stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Howard also directs coordinating centers for multi-center randomized clinical trials.