UM SPH Academic Courses

HBEHED632 Racial/ Ethnic Health Disparities Research and Interventions

Winter term(s)

3 Credit Hour(s)

Instructor(s): Griffith, Derek

Prerequisites: N/A

Description: The exponential growth in 'health disparities' research has led to considerable confusion regarding what constitutes health disparities research and how health disparities and minority health are distinct. The primary objective of this one-semester, three-credit course is to provide a forum for reviewing and critically analyzing basic issues in conducting research on racial and ethnic health disparities and to help students become educated consumers and producers of scientific work characterized under this umbrella. The course provides students with a fundamental working knowledge of key concepts and terms, historical events, and contemporary topics relevant to providing a broad and comprehensive foundation for examining scientific literature and conducting basic and intervention research on racial and ethnic health disparities, focusing largely, but not exclusively on the poor health of African Americans. Specifically, we will address the following core issues: 1)The strengths and limitations of the way in which we conceptualize, measure, and distinguish between core constructs (e.g., race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status/ position); 2)Determinants of health and racial and ethnic health disparities; 3)Key historical events that illustrate important lessons for health disparities research and practice; and 4)Intervention strategies to address racial and ethnic health disparities focused at the behavioral, interpersonal, community, health system, and national levels.

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