Kaplan, a fourth-year student in the School of Medicine and recent graduate of the Gillings School of Global Public Health, has published an op ed about telehealth as a tool for expanding access to care and promoting health equity.
An op ed by Ben Kaplan, fourth year UNC medical student and recent graduate of the Gillings School of Global Public Health, has been published in the Annals of Family Medicine. In this article, Kaplan describes how telehealth has allowed him to connect with patients who previously struggled to access consistent primary care. “It is important to acknowledge telehealth’s clinical limitations, as well as challenges like inconsistent availability of broadband internet and a lack of standardized reimbursement procedures for telehealth visits. If we are intentional about engaging these challenges while centering health equity, telehealth may continue to be a valuable tool for mitigating socioeconomic barriers and expanding access to health care in the coming years.”
Kaplan, an illustrator in his spare time, also provided a “visual abstract” to be included in the online publication of this article. “Illustration has always been an important creative and emotional outlet for me. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve started using it as a tool for communicating health-related information to a broad audience. It’s exciting to have some of my illustrations published alongside this op-ed, which I hope will contribute to an ongoing conversation between clinicians and patients about the future of telehealth.” More of Kaplan’s illustrations may be found on Instagram at @bkcartoons.