Diana Padilla, CRC, CASAC-T
Research Project Manager
SBIRT Technical Assistance
Division of Substance Use Disorders
New York State Psychiatric Institute
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center

Natalie Bembry, Ed.D, MSM, LSW
Assistant Director of Student Affairs
Rutgers University, School of Social Work

Behavioral health disparities reflect the lack of access to quality care for specific populations. Despite notable efforts to address inequitable outcomes, research suggests that race and ethnicity are predictors of how services are delivered, and unconscious bias is one component that has been identified as influencing the provision of poor care. With the steady rise of the US population and the expected increase in communities of color, the need to address behavioral health disparities has never been more urgent. This first session of the four-part series will discuss how cognitive bias develops, how it is sustained by intrinsic and environmental factors, and how it contributes to inequitable outcomes for persons of color in behavioral health care.