b'A D V A N C I N G I N N O V A T I O N S I N H E A L T H C A R E P O L I C Y Q:You are a pediatrician. What is your interest in TM? A: There are many reasons. The first reason is counterintuitive. For most, the conversation about heart disease as the number one killer of Americans is likely about adults. However, according to the American Heart Association, 49% of African American women have heart disease by age 20! The fact that Black women suffer from heart disease at such an early age makes it a PEDIATRIC issue. That being the case, studies have shown that TM is highly effective in reducing stress and hypertension, which Black women are 60% more likely to suffer from than our White counterparts.Another reason is because of TMs ability to increase cognitive function, memory, andconcentration. Many of the children that I work with suffer from disorders like ADHD, bipolar disorder, anger disorder, and learning disabilities sometimes connected to neglect. TM offers these children, and their parents, a tool that empowers them beyond medication and encourages a sense of control that many of these families lack. TM is also cost-effective and sustainable. For teens and children who are reliant on their caregivers for access to traditional treatments like medication, TM offers these children self-reliance and increased access to resilience beyond their sometimes-failing parents and guardians.Q:What is the significance of these large-scale TM trials? A:As we tackle healthcare disparities, any effort to increase access to treatments that are notjust affordable but also highly effective is of extreme importance. As such, I believe it is essential that TM becomes a treatment broadly offered by physicians for hypertension and other disorders associated with stress that is covered by healthcare plans. For vulnerable communities like children and adults who are under-insured or on Medicaid, large-scale TM trials are necessary to establish its efficacy and safety, just as we do with medications that eventually get covered by insurance plans.Q:Will the Black community be open to meditation? A:Yes. I believe the Black community is waiting for TM. 47'