Dr. Julio Aponte will present Healthcare Disparities for Hispanic Heritage Month at the Regional Academic Center in Twinsburg 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Aponte was Teacher of the Year at Fairview Internal Medicine Residency Program from 2010 to2011. He will discuss the disproportionate numbers of minorities that get substandard medical care.

According to Enrollment Management and Student Services Advisor Vania Alvarez-Minah the reason minorities receive poor health outcomes are related to the way general society sees them.

“We are perceived as a threat, and we are not dignified as real whole humans,” Alvarez-Minah said. “For students in the health careers, it is important to understand cultural differences. It will be nice to encourage undergraduate minority students to consider this rewarding field.”

Latinos may experience obstacles on their way into making a career in this field because of medical providers’ assumptions.

“Dr. Aponte is adamant about relaying the importance of cultural competency and preconceived notions which may be barriers that can impact proper diagnosis and care in all minority populations; this includes issues related to gender, living conditions, and customs,” Alvarez-Minah said.

Contact Rachel Sluss at [email protected].