The Institute of Medicine defines health disparities as "racial or ethnic differences in the quality of health care that are not due to access-related factors or clinical needs, preferences, and appropriateness of intervention" (Smedley, Stith, & Nelson, 2003). In this case, discrimination at the individual patient-provider level is thought to manifest as differences in care resulting from biases, prejudices, and stereotyping in clinical communication and decision making. There is evidence that patients who perceive racial discrimination are more likely to report adverse health outcomes. Previous work has found that minority adults who report ever experiencing discrimination, being prevented from doing something, being hassled, or made to feel inferior in various situations have greater physical and psychiatric symptoms than their counterparts who did not report this experience (Borrell, Kiefe, Williams, Diez-Roux, & Gordon-Larsen, 2006). In addition, individuals who report experiencing discrimination at any time during their lifetime have been found to have poor adherence to treatment, worse health outcomes, and delays in seeking medical care (Casagrande, Gary, LaVeist, Gaskin, & Cooper, 2007). The work of Dr. David Williams (2012) and others has continued to demonstrate a clear relationship between minority race and poorer health outcomes. Racial inequities and disparities are evident in the timing of disease onset (earlier for minorities), severity and progression of disease (more severe for minorities), the effects of some risk factors (less exposure to the risk factor has a greater impact on minorities), and the persistence of health disparities over time (resulting in a lower life expectancy for minorities vs. non-minorities). Racial discrimination is reported frequently by African American adolescents, similar to their adult counterparts (Fisher,
