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Health Care Equity Program

The application period for the 2026-2027 Health Care Equity Program is closed. 

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Congratulations to the following for joining us for our sixth year of the Health Care Equity Program:

Aisha Abdulrazaq, MBBS
Project: This project aims to improve access to comprehensive epilepsy care within the Somali community in Minnesota by addressing key structural and informational barriers. Through partnerships with the Epilepsy Foundation, we will establish community-based epilepsy support groups, develop culturally and linguistically appropriate educational materials translated into Somali, and facilitate navigation of diagnostic testing and the epilepsy surgery evaluation process. Together, these efforts seek to empower patients and families while improving timely access to advanced epilepsy care.

Kapil Arya, MBBS, DA, FAAP, FACNS, FAAN
Project: I would like to identify key gaps that impede care for children with spinal muscular atrophy in AR. After qualitative interviews, I will develop appropriate interventions at the institutional, patient advocacy group, and state levels to promote health care equity for patients with spinal muscular atrophy. A successful approach may then be replicated in other states and internationally.

Ankita Brahmaroutu, MD
Project: We are analyzing ground transportation times to comprehensive and thrombectomy-capable stroke centers from census tracts for 3 select states within the AHA/ASA mechanical thrombectomy destination triage guidelines. Where there are discrepancies, we are proposing strategic solutions to be used for further healthcare planning.

Camilo Diaz-Cruz, MD
Project: Prognostication in neurocritically ill patients is a complex task because it requires 1) a comprehensive understanding of probabilities and 2) advanced communication skills to explain these probabilities to patients’ families. Icon arrays are graphical representations presenting numerical estimates of the probability of an outcome. Multiple studies have indicated that surrogate decision makers prefer receiving an approximate quantitative prognostication. Using the recent neuroprognostication guidelines published by the Neurocritical Care Society, we will generate infographics containing icon arrays to enhance communication during family meetings.

Karina Gonzalez Otarula, MD
Project: My project will focus on developing an initiative to improve access to EEG testing for rural patients in South Dakota, where long travel distances and limited availability of specialty services often result in prolonged wait times for patients with seizures or epilepsy. This project will assess institutional and regional barriers to EEG access and explore feasible solutions, including partnerships with regional hospitals, mobile or outreach EEG services, and streamlined referral and scheduling pathways.

Anlys Olivera, MD, PhD
Project: The current study aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of post infectious encephalitis (IE) sequalae, by evaluating symptoms across five domains: cognitive function, psychiatric disorders, neurological disorders, global functioning, and quality of life (QoL)- using a mixed method design. Little is known about the longitudinal course of IE, and even less is known about the unique challenges that women, people of color, and older patients face post-IE.

Chiamaka Onuigbo, MD
Project: This project seeks to create a culturally inclusive toolkit that eases the transition from diagnosis of Parkinson's disease to acceptance and self-management of this condition in populations with limited resources and/or access to movement disorder neurologists. The goal of this toolkit is to increase health literacy, improve preparedness for disease progression, and promote early engagement with support services in their community. The toolkit seeks to be another tangible resource for those that have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers.

Divya Palanisamy, MD
Project: Our objective is to improve brain health literacy within multigenerational family units by implementing a brain health literacy program for fourth and fifth grade students. We hypothesize that children who participate in this program will go on to share key concepts, serving as ambassadors of key health information within their communities.

Rani Vasireddy, MBBS
Project: My proposed project aims to reduce neurological health care disparities in East Texas by developing a comprehensive, locally accessible movement disorders and neuromodulation program. This initiative will expand access to advanced therapies such as deep brain stimulation, botulinum toxin treatment, and infusion therapies while integrating telemedicine to overcome geographic and technological barriers. Through community partnerships and structured care coordination, the project will focus on improving patient education, continuity of care, and timely access to subspecialty services. Ultimately, the goal is to create a sustainable model that delivers equitable, high-quality neurologic care to underserved populations in the region.

Derek Yuan, MD
Project: This project aims to improve equitable access to migraine therapies by streamlining electronic prior authorization (ePA) workflows for headache medications. By identifying inefficiencies and inequities in current authorization processes, the project will develop standardized, scalable strategies to reduce delays, administrative burden, and treatment disparities—especially for patients in underserved communities.

The Health Care Equity Program is supported in part by Eisai.