MCH Student:

Ruth Sheldon

Date of Defense:

December 18, 2020

Abstract:

Hamline University presented me with an opportunity to construct a new introductory public health curriculum that emphasizes the social determinants of health and health equity. The context of the pandemic and social turmoil in 2020 exacerbated the need for culturally competent public health students committed to both population health and anti-racist practices. This required me as the instructor to be fully dedicated to social justice, the alleviation of white supremacy (particularly in its presentation as anti-Black racism), and the mitigation of disparities in health among marginalized populations (i.e., BIPOC, LGBTQ+, aging persons and older adults, disability communities) through the targeting of the social determinants of health. My approach to the curriculum was to present key topics through a health equity lens using current literature and relevant community applications.