While hosting the live radio broadcast “Chiefs Rounds” on Sirius XM Doctor Radio, I had the privilege to have Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH, as my guest. Ogedegbe is a friend and colleague who was recently appointed to run a new endeavor at NYU Langone Health called the Institute for Excellence in Health Equity.
While discussing the horrific fatalities and disparities seen during the COVID 19 Pandemic, Gbenga said something that is well known to health equity researchers: “When it comes to health outcomes and life expectancy, your ZIP code is more important than your genetic code”. This was the case for COVID 19, and since that time, I have been considering if the same holds true for colorectal cancer (CRC) disparities.