Minority Health and Health Disparities

Achieving good health is a priority goal for individuals and populations in which race, gender, and socioeconomic status all play a part. Communities of lower socioeconomic status may experience more difficulty accessing health care, nutritious food options, and health education. Students who study minority health and health disparities are largely concerned with widening access to health care for underserved populations, as well as studying how resources can be distributed to more susceptible populations that are disproportionately affected by certain diseases. Students in this field become experts in the reasons for socioeconomic imbalance in the American health care system.

Find Academic Programs in Minority Health and Health Disparities

Sample Courses

American Indian Health Systems

The American Indian (AI) population suffers disproportionately from diabetes, obesity, and infant mortality. Social determinants of health and increased risk factors contribute to health disparities within the AI population. Health policies and cultural competence are integral to solving some of the most important health concerns. This course focuses on the underlying factors of successful health systems through the lens of American Indian health disparities.

Health Disparities and Economics

Health does not operate in a vacuum. It is intertwined with social, economic, and educational factors. Health disparities are the differences in overall rate of disease incidence, morbidity, and mortality, which leads to increased economic burden. This course will teach the future public health practitioners how play a critical role in the identification and elimination of health disparities.

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