The Health Equity Certificate Program: A Targeted Approach to Reducing Health Disparities and Increasing the Competence of Health Professional Students

Abstract

Health disparities and their social determinants are critical for public health students to understand in order to pursue a more equitable state of health for all. To improve an existing Health Equity Certificate to train a multidisciplinary workforce able to address health inequities, authors reviewed public health schools and programs across the United States to determine the extent of graduate-level academic focus on this area. The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health offers 1 of 11 health equity academic programs offered nationally. University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health has recently restructured the Health Equity Certificate, incorporating crosscutting competencies, broadening applicability across disciplines, and reworking courses to include more comprehensive review of social determinants that reflect avoidable differences in access to health care, quality of health care, and health outcomes. Students pursuing the certificate take 15 credits plus a practical component. Through carefully sequenced courses, this certificate prepares students to address and prevent furthering disparities in their public health careers.

Keywords

curriculum health disparities health equity public health competencies

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