Fabiola Ramirez
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About the Author: Fabiola Ramirez, MSN, is an MD student at the Paul Foster School of Medicine in El Paso, TX. Prior to pursuing medicine, Fabiola obtained a Master of Science in Nursing with a specialization in Pediatric Primary Care from Yale University School of Nursing in New Haven, CT. Fabiola, a first-generation Latina, is passionate about addressing health disparities. Her interest in research arises from a desire to contribute to the creation of evidence-based solutions that have a long-lasting impact on improving healthcare access and health outcomes for marginalized populations. She is particularly passionate about addressing dermatologic health disparities and would like to pursue a career in dermatology, a historically underrepresented field, upon graduating from medical school.
About the Work: As the deadliest form of skin cancer, advanced-stage melanoma is a devastating disease. Encouragingly, with the introduction of immunotherapy, the overall survival of metastatic melanoma has improved drastically. However, access to novel immunotherapeutic drugs is not universal for all patients. Herein, we examined the association between various sociodemographic factors and the likelihood of using immunotherapy for melanoma treatment. This is a retrospective cohort study using the Texas Cancer Registry data for the years 2011–2018. Results from our multivariate model highlighted several factors associated with a higher likelihood of presenting with metastatic disease which included Hispanic ethnicity and black race. Dermatologic disparities affecting the Hispanic population underscore the importance of targeted interventions to overcome community level barriers to melanoma treatment and diagnosis. This study highlights the need to further evaluate different insurance types and their effect on receipt of immunotherapy.
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