Micro-Minor in Health Equity

The Health Equity Micro-Minor engages students in questions surrounding the social and structural inequities that historically marginalized populations face when trying to achieve their full health potential.

Coursework is interdisciplinary, exploring diverse cultural perspectives on how health relates to the principles of social justice, ethics and human rights. Students also gain an in-depth understanding of health equity and related concepts.

The micro-minor requires three courses:

• one foundational class in health equity
• two electives, such as Race, Medicine and Public Health, Principles of Ethical Leadership or World on a Plate.

How to Apply

1. Bring a Declaration of Major/Minor form to program co-director Maranda Ward to obtain a signature. Contact Maranda Ward with any questions about the micro-minor or about enrolling in the foundational course.
2. Request a signature from co-director Maranda Ward.
3. Submit the signed declaration form to your home school advising office for processing.

Program Outcomes

• Explain how eliminating health disparities serve as a metric for progress toward health equity for all U.S. populations
• Describe historical, economic and/or social indicators of disadvantage, marginalization and discrimination within U.S. subpopulations
• Review changes to policies, practices, laws and systems as what fosters opportunities for populations to be healthy
• Critically analyze the role of racism and/or discrimination to explain the disproportionate morbidity and mortality rates and other adverse health outcomes among historically marginalized populations

Defining "Health Equity"

When we talk about health disparities, we are talking about the unnecessary differences in health that exist within and across socially disadvantaged populations. These differences relate directly to issues such as poverty, discrimination and segregation.

These types of unfair health differences are not people-based issues (such as age, genetics or biology) but policy-based ones. In the health equity micro-minor, coursework is designed to emphasize that any discussion of health disparities must include the sociocultural and geopolitical factors that shape population health.

In the core micro-minor course, Foundations of Health Equity, students will learn to distinguish between the concepts of health difference, health disparity, health inequity and health equity.

Course Requirements