Background & Clinical Relevance

The ICC Skin Equity Initiative was born from a shared interest in advancing health equity through community partnership. As medical students, we have found a home in Lake County over the last four years. In North Chicago and Waukegan (cities within Lake County), Latino residents make up about 40% and 60% of the population, respectively9. Our communities are vibrant and resilient, yet persistent disparities remain in terms of access to culturally relevant dermatologic education and care1.

Particularly for those who face systemic healthcare barriers6,7, we believe it is essential to learn how to empower individuals to identify skin conditions and seek timely care. The skin is a visible organ and often serves as an early indicator of broader health conditions3. While skin cancer is less common among Latinos compared to non-Hispanic White persons, it is frequently diagnosed at later stages and statistically leads to worse outcomes2,8. Additionally, many work in occupations with high sun or chemical exposure and may not have access to preventive or affordable sun-protective resources4. Language barriers and patient education with limited cultural relevance further widen both the knowledge and care gaps5.

Project Planning

Recognizing the skin health disparities in North Chicago and Waukegan, we aimed to create educational materials that are accessible and culturally aligned. We are partnering with two Lake County community organizations, Mano a Mano and the North Chicago Think Tank (NCTT), to develop a skin health curriculum created by and for the community. Mano a Mano is a trusted nonprofit organization that serves Latino families and the immigrant community through educational, health, legal, and social services. NCTT is a grassroots organization dedicated to empowering Black residents by improving community health and quality of life through innovation and policy reform. Together, we refined our intended audience, clarified priority topics, and shaped our messaging to maximize clarity and relevance.

Our initial deliverables include three Spanish-language podcast topics in collaboration with Mano a Mano’s Informados y Conectados live podcast platform:

  1. Entendiendo el campo de la dermatología (Demystifying dermatology)
  2. Protección solar para todos los bolsillos (Affordable sun protection)
  3. Piel segura en el trabajo (Workplace skin protection)

We are also developing three complementary infographics:

  1. ¿Cierto o falso? (Common skin myths)
  2. Autoexamen de piel: paso a paso (Skin self-check guide)
  3. Manchas: ¿Qué significan? (Understanding dark spots)

All of the above were identified through direct input from our community partners, who maintain longstanding relationships with Lake County’s Latino community. Our intended audience is Latino workers in sun-exposed or chemical-exposed occupations in North Chicago and Waukegan. We are collaborating with dermatology faculty at Rosalind Franklin University’s Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC), a free health clinic serving uninsured residents primarily in northern Lake County, to ensure our material is clinically accurate and evidence-based. We are also working with various ICC panels for interdisciplinary review.

While our deliverables are still in the creative phase, we intend to launch our first livestream in May 2026. Ultimately, our goal is to empower Latino Lake County residents with knowledge that supports prevention, early recognition, and informed decision-making about their skin health. Our measurable outcomes include podcast engagement metrics (e.g., live listener counts and recording views) as well as qualitative community feedback.

Future Direction

Our work has been recognized with the 2025 Aequitas Chapter Project of the Year Award, and we were selected as finalists to present at the 2025 Aequitas Health National Fellow Conference. Our team feels honored to be recognized for work that is community-driven and geared towards advancing health equity.

Moving forward, we envision this work to continue as a longitudinal initiative even beyond our time as medical students. Future directions include expanding conversation topics, increasing language accessibility, incorporating in-person demonstrations (e.g., skin self-exams or sunscreen application), and allowing our work to evolve with the needs of the community.

References

  1. American Academy of Dermatology. Diversity in dermatology: addressing health equity and representation. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021;84(2):e73-e74. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2020.10.064
  2. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures for Hispanic/Latino People 2021–2023. American Cancer Society; 2021.
  3. Bolognia JL, Schaffer JV, Cerroni L, eds. Dermatology. 4th ed. Elsevier; 2018.
  4. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2022. Published 2023. Accessed March 4, 2026. https://www.bls.gov
  5. Diamond LC, et al. Association of language concordance and health outcomes. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(6):e2115807. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.15807
  6. Kaiser Family Foundation. Health coverage and care of Hispanic adults. Published 2023. Accessed March 4, 2026. https://www.kff.org
  7. Office of Minority Health. Profile: Hispanic/Latino Americans. Updated 2022. Accessed March 4, 2026. https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov
  8. Reyes-Ortiz CA, et al. Disparities in melanoma stage at diagnosis and survival among Hispanic patients in the United States. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020;83(5):1476-1484. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2020.04.171
  9. United States Census Bureau. QuickFacts: North Chicago, IL; Waukegan, IL. U.S. Census Bureau. Updated 2023. Accessed March 4, 2026. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts