This past summer, I had the opportunity to shadow under Dr. Mope Akintorin at the John Stroger Cook County Hospital in Chicago, IL., where I was able to witness the effect of health care disparities firsthand. Dr. Akintorin is a Pediatrician with a specialty in Neonatology. I was able to observe her research clinical that follows babies that were born preterm after they have been cleared from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and monitors the progress of their health. Coming in contact with the mothers of the NICU children and their stories allowed me to learn the truth about healthcare in America: Blacks and other minorities, particularly women, are often discounted by their doctors and do not receive the quality health care that Whites are provided. The women complained of expressing concerns to doctors only to have these concerns disregarded, of being denied pain killers or treatments, and even of being questioned of their ability to pay for treatment. Dr. Akintorin is among the many physicians in Cook County, a community that faces poverty rates higher than the national average, that are working to bridge this gap through medical research. Medical research that is used to eliminate health and healthcare disparities is important to society because racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to receive quality medical care, and in turn, face higher morbidity and mortality rates. Medical research can provide important information about disease trends, risk factors, and outcomes of treatment for the primary groups of people that are affected by health care disparities, such as Blacks and Latinos. Medical research concerning these groups may also work to raise public awareness of health care disparities. More importantly, I believe the awareness of these disparities in health will rise in physicians, forcing them to be more cognizant of their actions as well as the actions of their counterparts.