"When It Comes to Your Health, Does Your Zip Code Matter More Than Your Genetic Code?"
Speaker: Anthony B. Iton, M.D., J.D., M.P.H.
In 2013 when Forbes magazine listed the top ten healthcare quotes for 2013, the number one quote was attributed to me: When it comes to health, your zip code matters more than your genetic code. This brief presentation will address some of the data and evidence behind that quote by exploring the strength of the relationship between life expectancy and neighborhood. Using hundreds of thousands of death certificates, GISmapping, and other simple data analyses, a profile of life expectancy by neighborhood in seven different cities and regions will be presented. The implications for US health spending and population health management will be discussed and a model for understanding the social determinants of health will be presented.
Anthony B. Iton, M.D., J.D., M.P.H. - Bio
Dr . Anthony Iton is a Senior Vice President of Healthy Communities at the
California Endowment. Dr. Iton joined The Endowment in October 2009 and prior to this appointment, he served since 2003 as both the director and County Health Officer for the Alameda County Public Health Department. In that role, he oversaw the creation of an innovative public health practice designed to eliminate health disparities by tackling the root causes of poor health that limit quality of life and lifespan in many of California's low-income communities.
**Recorded at the Family Process 60th Anniversary & Celebration, "The Heart of the Matter: Systemic Imperatives to Address Health Disparities and Racism in the Time of COVID."
24 SEP 2021, Washington, D.C.
