In the United States, the burden of disease and the benefit of long and healthy life expectancies are unequally distributed across the population. Vast, persistent and avoidable health inequalities by race, geography, class, gender identity and sexual orientation are well documented. Addressing these inequalities is both a critical challenge and critical objective for public health researchers and practitioners. Advancing health justice and equity are also central to YSPH's mission.
The U.S. Health Justice Concentration prepares students from any YSPH department to analyze and address systems and processes that perpetuate health injustice in the United States including how past and present systems of privilege and power, related to race, class, gender, sexual orientation and other identities, create unequal burdens on health that are avoidable and unjust. Students will develop tools to analyze public health research methods, discourse and practice using a health justice framework in addition to developing skills in organizing, advocacy and policy. Though not limited to Connecticut, the concentration emphasizes local health needs and partners with local organizations that are working to advance health justice.
rev. 07.19.2021