Health Care Disparities Curriculum
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently awarded an $8 million grant to the University of Chicago for a major initiative called Finding Answers: Disparities Research for Change. Led by Marshall Chin, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, more than 25 faculty and staff across the University are the vanguard for this national effort housed on our campus in the Center for Health and the Social Sciences (CHeSS).
A major component of this important initiative is Health Care
Disparities in America, an intensive one-week experience that all Pritzker students attend just after Orientation Week in the fall. The program is led by Monica Vela, MD and utilizes a dynamic approach to help students further their understanding of this prominent health care issue. Students attend lectures taught by leaders from the area and University, as well as spend time visiting local free clinics, community centers, emergency rooms, and hospitals to gain a first hand perspective of healthcare inequalities. Students leave the class informed of the magnitude of health disparities, better prepared to effectively communicate across cultures, and with a commitment to reduce these disparities. For more information, please contact Dr. Vela.
