DSC Team

Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH
Director, The Disparities Solutions Center
Senior Scientist, Institute for Health Policy
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Program Director of Multicultural Education, Multicultural Affairs Office

Dr. Betancourt’s primary interests include racial and ethnic disparities in health care, cross-cultural medicine, minority recruitment into the health professions, and minority health/health policy research. He has served as Principal Investigator on grants from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Commonwealth Fund, and the California Endowment, in addition to being co-investigator on a project funded by the National Cancer Institute and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Dr. Betancourt has served on several Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committees, including those that produced “Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Health Care”, “Guidance for a National Health Care Disparities Report”, and “In the Nation’s Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health Care Workforce” and served on the IOM Roundtable on Health Literacy. He was a member of the Massachusetts State Committee on Racial/Ethnic Disparities and served on the Boston Public Health Commission Committee on Racial/Ethnic Disparities. Dr. Betancourt currently co-chairs the Massachusetts General Hospital Committee on Racial/Ethnic Disparities and the Harvard Medical School Cross-Cultural Care Committee.

Dr. Betancourt has authored peer-reviewed articles on topics including racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care; public health; hypertension, diabetes, and cerebrovascular disease in minority communities; cross-cultural care and education; clinical decisionmaking; ethics; workforce diversity; and the impact of language barriers on health care. Dr. Betancourt also teaches cross-cultural medicine, health disparities, and health policy to medical students and residents at MGH-Harvard Medical School and to students at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. Betancourt received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland, his medical degree from the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Following residency, he completed The Commonwealth Fund-Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy, and received his Masters in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Selected Publications

1. Carrillo JE, Green AR, Betancourt JR. Cross-cultural primary care: a patient-based approach. Ann Intern Med. 1999:130:829-834.

2. Betancourt JR, Carrillo JE, Green AR. Hypertension in multicultural and minority populations: linking communication to compliance. Curr Hypertens Rep. 1999. 1:482-488.

3. Betancourt JR, Green AR, Carrillo JE. The challenges of cross-cultural health care: perspectives on diversity, ethics, and the medical encounter. Bioethics Forum 2000;16:27-32

4. Elixhauser A, Weinick R, Betancourt JR, Andrews R. Differences between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in use of hospital procedures for cerebrovascular disease. Ethn Dis 2002; 12:29-37.

5. Betancourt JR. Cross-cultural medical education: Conceptual approaches and frameworks for evaluation. Acad Med 2003; 78:560-69.

6. Betancourt JR, Green AR, Carrillo JE, Ananeh-Firempong O. Defining cultural competence: A practical framework for addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care. Public Health Rep 2003; 118:293-302.

7. Betancourt JR, King RK. The IOM Report “Unequal Treatment”: The Institute of Medicine Report and its public health implications. Public Health Rep 2003; 118:287-292.

8. Betancourt JR. Cultural competence--marginal or mainstream movement? N Engl J Med. 2004; 351:953-5.

9. Betancourt JR, Green AR, Carrillo JE, Park ER. Cultural competence and health care disparities: key perspectives and trends. Health Aff (Millwood) 2005; 24:499-505.

10. Weissman JS, Betancourt JR, Campbell EG, Park ER, Kim MK, Clarridge B, Blumenthal D, Lee KC, Maina AW. Resident physician's preparedness to provide cross-cultural care. JAMA 2005; 294:1058-67.

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