When it comes to health care, minority populations tend to get the short end of the stick. In fact, John Auerbach, the Boston Public Health Commission executive director, calls racial and ethnic discrepancies in adult and infant mortality, prostate cancer, diabetes, and asthma "disturbing."

To offset such disparities, Northeastern is partnering with the city of Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital on a $1 million project aimed at improving health care for minorities.

Hortensia Amaro, director of Northeastern's Institute on Urban Health Research, will be the lead author of a narrative review for implementing the Boston Disparities Project's recommendations.

Goals of the project include facilitating across-the-board access to health care, including interpreter services, and making recommendations on such factors as access to exercise, affordable housing, and public safety. It will also examine ways to bring more minority students into the health-care field.

Language barriers and care providers' preconceptions often affect the health care given to minorities, Auerbach said during a visit to campus in March.

• E Line Story Index