Why are there fewer pharmacies in Black and Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods than White or diverse neighborhoods? Why are Black and Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods more likely to experience pharmacy closures compared with other neighborhoods? How do pharmacy deserts contribute to health and racial disparities in the USA? What are the policies we should implement in the USA to ensure equitable access to pharmacies? I really enjoyed discussing these questions with Dr. Dima Mazen Qato. Dima is Hygeia Centennial Chair and Associate Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy. Dima’s work aims to better understand why medications are used, or not used, and how they can and should be used in the population to promote equity, longevity and good health. Dima’s research also utilizes population-based methods to better understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for the use, underuse and unsafe use of medications, how these patterns may influence health outcomes and health disparities, and what can be done from a community and policy perspective to address these growing public health problems. Dima's work on pharmacy deserts has been published in Health Affairs: https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/abs/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01699?journalCode=hlthaff.