Before putting me on the bus to go to Catholic school every weekday, my great-grandmother and I would have oatmeal for breakfast together. It was our ritual. One morning, she suffered a stroke. That experience — watching that loss of life, unable to help in any way — sparked a desire in my 5-year-old heart to help people, specifically women like her. Today, as I look at the continuing impact of social determinants of health on my patients, I’m reminded that my great-grandmother’s death was the result of diabetes, which disproportionately affects people of color. There’s still so much we must do to improve our health outcomes — locally and nationally.