Faculty

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Increasing diversity in Public Health

Effective change takes effective changemakers. Today, we talk to a few changemakers who are dedicated to improving diversity in public health and healthcare leadership. Research has long shown that the most effective way to improve health for any community is to have public health leaders from that community involved in the day-to-day decision making around the care of that population. Pipeline programs, like the University of Michigan’s Summer Enrichment Program, create avenues for students from underrepresented communities to be exposed to careers in public health, healthcare management, and policy-making. Increasing diversity in public health is both a macro mission, taken on by universities and programs around the country, as well as an individual one, best exemplified by committed mentors who do what they can to support their students.

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How food insecurity shapes children and families

In this episode of Population Healthy Season 3: Race, Inequity, and Closing the Health Gap, we talk with two nutritional sciences experts at the University of Michigan School of Public Health about what food insecurity is, why it’s been increasing in the US, and what we can do to address this devastating public health crisis.

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How Bodies Weather Social Stress

In this episode of Population Healthy Season 3: Race, Inequity, and Closing the Health Gap, experts from the University of Michigan School of Public Health discuss weathering, which encapsulates the idea that lived experiences and stress have impact on our bodily systems—with disadvantaged and/or populations of color often experiencing this firsthand. We’ll also learn about the ways researchers are studying the impacts of these social stressors—such as racism and discrimination—and how they can literally have an impact on your body at a cellular level.

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The impact of race on data

In this episode of Population Healthy Season 3: Race, Inequity, and Closing the Health Gap, we talk with experts about the problematic history of racialized data in the United States, the dangers of “garbage data,” and the ways we can both gather better data, and improve collaborations with the populations we serve.

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Black Families and Mental Health

In this episode of Population Healthy Season 3: Race, Inequity, and Closing the Health Gap, we take a deeper look at how Black families and individuals deal with the factors that impact their mental health. Mental health is a complicated and nuanced subject, and racial trauma and stigmas add additional layers of complexity for communities of color. This creates a landscape that is difficult for Black adults and children to navigate.