Louisiana Via Research Day Book 2026

Community / Public Health

Community / Public Health

118 STERILIZATION RATES FOLLOWING THE OVERTURN OF ROE V. WADE

119 HEALTH DISPARITIES IN DERMATOLOGICAL CARE: A COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Taylor Raff 1 ; Deena Elsahy, MD 3 ; Kelly Kasper, MD 2 1 VCOM-Louisiana; 2 Department of Obstetrician and Gynecologist at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis, Indiana; 3 Department of Obstetrician and Gynecologist at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Kaitlin Wiley, OMS-II; Jonah Flowers, DO VCOM-Louisiana

Study Objective: To compare rates of sterilization pre and post the overturn of Roe v Wade Design: This is a retrospective cohort study with data collected over the span of 20 months

institution the weekly sterilization rate was 7.63 (SD 3.10, [2-16]). Following the overturn, this rate increased to 12.15 (SD 4.42, [6-22], which was a statistically significant increase (p <0.0001). Conclusion: On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade and 1992 Planned Parenthood v Casey decisions. In doing so, the right to abortion was no longer protected by the Constitution and was instead left to each state to decide. This decision has caused significant uncertainty regarding the future of reproductive health care. At our institution, there was a significant increase in the weekly number of sterilizations performed following the overturn of Roe v Wade. Further studies are needed to assess motivation for sterilization and whether fear of being unable to access contraception and/or abortion care influenced patient’s decisions.

Context: Health disparities in dermatology, especially those that exist among patients with skin of color, or SOC, or skin or color, result in delayed diagnoses, inadequate treatment, as well as increased mortality and morbidity. This literature review analyzes the dermatological care disparities among marginalized populations, including race, socioeconomic status, location, and representation in medical education. Objectives: The objective of this literature review was to evaluate existing evidence of dermatological care among marginalized populations, including access to care, socioeconomic status, location, and skin of color. We hypothesized that patients with SOC, or skin of color experience a disproportionate rate of diagnostic delay and limited access to dermatological care, in comparison to lighter and fair-skinned populations. Methods: A thorough review of PubMed indexed literature was conducted, including reviews that were dated up until the most recent year. These articles focused on studies that addressed and analyzed issues with access to care, representation within medical education

and research, and as well diagnostic disparities among patients with SOC.

advances and research initiatives that are aimed at reducing these disparities, and improving healthcare experiences for underserved populations.

Results: Each piece of literature was consistent in demonstrating the facts that patients with SOC experience disparities within healthcare at a substantially higher rate, including limited access to care due to socioeconomic status and location, and delayed diagnoses based on the pigmentation and color of their skin. Addressing these disparities include widening the amount of dermatologists that are efficient and competent in diagnosing skincare conditions in a wide array of skin tones, as well as making the needed improvements in medical education and research, and expanding the dermatology workforce distribution. Conclusion: This review highlights a range of disparities that marginalized patients receive in healthcare, with a focus on the main ones experienced in dermatological care. Striving for equitable experiences in dermatology requires a range of improvements, including expanding medical research to include a diverse set of skin tones and increasing workforce distribution. Future care in this will focus on educational

Objective: Setting A high volume academic institution.

Patients or Participants: Patients >18 years of age who opted for surgical sterilization for the 10 months prior to and following the overturn of Roe v Wade. This included laparoscopic approaches, postpartum tubal ligations and those performed at the time of cesarean section. Results: A total of 812 patients were included in the study. A cohort of 321 patients had surgical sterilization performed 8/24/21-6/24/22 and 491 performed 6/25/22 4/25/23. The mean number of sterilizations per week pre and post the overturn of Roe vs Wade were compared using Wilcoxon rank sum test. Prior to the overturn, at our

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2026 Research Recognition Day