Diversity Matters

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Leading work on social inequalities and health.

The University of Michigan has world-famous researchers in the area of social inequalities and health. Many of them teach and conduct research at the School of Public Health, where the school's mission statement includes a commitment to populations "who suffer disproportionately from illness and disability."

"We can't fulfill our basic mission without diverse faculty, staff, and students," says Dean Kenneth Warner. SPH Diversity Statement.

UM SPH pioneered the concept of partnering with communities, rather than just studying them. It happens from Ann Arbor to Ecuador, from Detroit to Finland, and from the Intertribal Council in Sault Ste. Marie to Congressional hearing rooms. At the center of this partnership is the new Crossroads & Tower complex, with common spaces designed to facilitate collaboration for the school's community and academic partners and dozens of interdisciplinary centers, including:

Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health at SPH develops new approaches to research and research training for understanding racial and ethnic health disparities.
Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health has more than 40 researchers at UM SPH leveraging $30 million in funding. They are "working on how social divides in society become health divides in society," according to director George Kaplan. Projects look at the intersection between race, class, and place across the lifecourse.
Health Management & Policy Summer Enrichment Program offers class work and internships in hospitals, HMOs, and other health services and public health agencies in Detroit, Ann Arbor and Flint, enabling participating students to work in organizations that confront health disparities every day.
Prevention Research Center of Michigan conducts community-based prevention research aimed at improving health status and reducing morbidity and mortality among populations experiencing a disproportionate share of poor health outcomes.

We invite you to learn more about other important programs at the University of Michigan, and the projects and the people working to improve the health outcomes of vulnerable populations. And, please, consider joining us.