The Initiative to Decrease Disparities in Depression is a collaborative project of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Continuing Medical Education, Vanderbilt University Division of Continuing Medical Education, and Indicia Medical Education, LLC.  Funded by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, this project aims to decrease disparities among minorities in the detection, diagnosis, treatment, and management of depression.  By integrating action research, adult learning principles, clinical guidelines, and methods of culturally appropriate care, the partnership has developed a number of approaches to address depression in minorities.  These include:

1.         Design Shop activities to elicit best practices in detecting, diagnosing, treating, and managing depression in minorities
2.         A core curriculum developed on current clinical topics in depression
3.         A satellite symposium on depression
4.         Regional symposia on depression
5.         A journal supplement outlining the issues involved in decreasing disparities in depression
6.         A grant funding process within the context of the larger initiative to support creative approaches to the elimination of disparities in depression at the local level
7.         A website to centralize and distribute relevant information on the topics of health disparities, depression, and culturally appropriate care
8.         A quarterly online magazine (“Insights on Decreasing Disparities in Depression”) featuring CME-certified learning activities, assessment tools, and discussion opportunities to be released soon

It is the intent of the collaborators to produce a series of turnkey CME products that any CME provider could use with minimal assistance to address the issues surrounding disparities in the treatment of depression.  We hope that you will find this website to be of great use in your practice.