Oklahoma State University: Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Regina Lewis

Oklahoma City OK

20 March, 2022

2:45 PM

Description

Press release from Oklahoma State University: March 17, 2022 Where are you from? Tulsa, Oklahoma What drew you to attend OSU as a medical student? I grew up around the corner from OSU Center for Health Sciences and I remember touring the medical school as a child. What led you to then practice at OSU Medicine and become a clinical faculty member? I was a patient at the Family Medicine clinic when I was a child ... Later, I trained there as a resident. I wanted to work in a practice that I actually had history with. I wanted to let other kids of color see someone that looked like them, which is something I never saw as a patient at the Health Care Center. How long have you been at OSU as a physician and clinical faculty? What topics or classes do you teach? I started practicing in the OSU Family Medicine clinic in 2007. I have helped with the obstetrics lectures, teaching breast and pelvic exams, small group discussions and co-course coordinator for some of the global health trips since I have been a faculty member at OSU-CHS. Why did you want to be a doctor? I originally wanted to be a cardiologist when I was kid. I later would witness how people would advise teenage girls that were pregnant to forget their dreams. I knew I needed to work in women's health as a family medicine physician so that I could keep in touch with the teen mothers and their babies and to provide encouragement that they might not receive at home. Were you encouraged to pursue medicine by teachers, professors, family and friends? I am the first in my family to be a physician. My family encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming a physician. You have said you didn't see many physicians and health care professionals that looked like you? Did that influence your decision to go into medicine? Growing up I did not see physicians that looked like me. Being a woman of color, it made me want to provide a space for patients who look like me to feel comfortable with their health care provider. Why is diversity important to medicine and health care? Diversity is important to medicine and health care. I believe it is important for patients to see providers that look like them. It's important for providers to know about different cultures, in addition to the health inequities that are present between people of color vs non-people of color and how systemic racism also leads to health inequality. Monday, February 14, 2022 Media Contact: Sara Plummer | Communications Coordinator | 918-561-1282 | [email protected] Recently, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry was awarded a $500,000 grant by the United States Department of Agriculture to study mental health conditions of farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma, as well as develop ways to assist rural Oklahomans struggling with their mental health. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture has partnered with OSU Center for Health Sciences and OSU Extension to spearhead this initiative. Recently, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry was awarded a $500,000 grant by the United States Department of Agriculture to study mental health conditions of farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma, as well as develop ways to assist rural Oklahomans struggling with their mental health. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture has partnered with OSU Center for Health Sciences and OSU Extension to spearhead this initiative. Dr. Jason Beaman, chair of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department at OSU-CHS, is leading a large-scale research study looking at mental health and agriculture outcomes. Dr. Jason Beaman, chair of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department at OSU-CHS, is leading a large-scale research study looking at mental health and agriculture outcomes. OSU Center for Rural Health's Denna Wheeler, director of rural research and evaluation, and Mark Woodring, assistant dean of rural health, will conduct surveys and focus groups with ranchers and farmers to provide even more information regarding mental health conditions, prevention and treatment. OSU Center for Rural Health's Denna Wheeler, director of rural research and evaluation, and Mark Woodring, assistant dean of rural health, will conduct surveys and focus groups with ranchers and farmers to provide even more information regarding mental health conditions, prevention and treatment. Other programs funded by the one-year grant include the new Project ECHO line, Heal the Harvester, that aims to increase awareness of needs and resources to support ranchers and farmers experiencing mental health crises. Other programs funded by the one-year grant include the new Project ECHO line, Heal the Harvester, that aims to increase awareness of needs and resources to support ranchers and farmers experiencing mental health crises. OSU Extension offices can then help connect farmers and ranchers with mental health resources and qualified health care professionals, and eventually, provide a place for telemedicine services. OSU Extension offices can then help connect farmers and ranchers with mental health resources and qualified health care professionals, and eventually, provide a place for telemedicine services. Beaman said it was the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture that approached OSU-CHS and OSU Extension with this extensive project and grant. Beaman said it was the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture that approached OSU-CHS and OSU Extension with this extensive project and grant. "The ODAFF have prioritized mental health and mental illness, which is incredibly important. Other people are thinking outside the box and are prioritizing mental health," he said. Having that kind of information will not only help families but the state's future and economy. Work is already underway and Beaman said research has already found a likely correlation between wheat prices and suicide. "That's really vital and important information to know. We have a lot more to drill down on," he said, and the stigma of having a mental health condition or illness may play a factor in research outcomes and lead to possible education programs and awareness campaigns about mental health. "Our hypothesis is being a farmer or rancher is more than just an occupation, it's a lifestyle. Imagine if your entire livelihood was tied to a commodity that has ups and downs and could crash overnight for reasons beyond your control," he said. "It may not be just your job that you lose, it may be your child's job, your brother's job. Families are very connected, and it's hard for that not to affect you down to your core." Beaman said suicide is completed when people feel they don't have any other options, and while farmers may not lose their job because they are self-employed, that does not mean they cannot experience significant loss and feel like they are out of options. During the one-year grant period, Beaman also hopes to research if correlations exist between items like wheat prices and cattle prices and substance use disorders. When the research is collected and analyzed, the goal is to develop targeted prevention and treatment programs as well as expand access to mental health care. "My department of psychiatry will be working with advocacy organizations, including a powerful partner in this initiative, the OSU Extension Office, to make sure mental health care is available to farmers and ranchers anywhere in Oklahoma," he said. This press release was produced by Oklahoma State University. The views expressed here are the author's own.