Section outline

  • Collapse all Expand all

  • Tuesday, January 5, 2021; 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

    Lecture:  Introduction to research with diverse populations

    Research in diverse populations requires an understanding of the complex multi-level influences on human health and how these are patterned by sociodemographic characteristics, including race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. This lecture will provide an introduction to conceptual models for these multi-level influences on health and their relevance to research of all types on human health. This multi-level framework will then provide the structure for the following three lectures of the course, which will review sequential layers of this model.

    Faculty: Christine Dehlendorf

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

    • Prospectus:

    • Introductory Video File

    • Session Slides:

    • Lecture 1 Slides File

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch - Live lecture Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:  Please read before coming to class on January 5th. 

    • Levels of Racism: A Theoretic Framework and a Gardener’s Tale, Camara Phyllis Jones, MD, MPH, PhD File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
    • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - Overcoming Obstacles to Health- Chapter 1 File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • Optional Readings:

    • Paradigms of Epidemiology File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

  • Monday, January 11, 2021; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

    Homework Help

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

  • Tuesday, January 12, 2021; 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

    Lecture: Multi-level etiologies of health in diverse population, Part 1: Social determinants of health and health behaviors

    Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, including education, wealth, occupation, neighborhood of residence, and the experience of racism. These factors are increasingly recognized as critical upstream influences that drive individual level health, as well as differences in health across groups. This lecture will provide an overview of what is known about the role of social determinants and about their influence on health behaviors and health itself.

    Faculty:  Salma Shariff-Marco and Scarlett Gomez

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

    • Session Slides:

    • Lecture 2 social determinants of health Jan12 2021 part 1 and part 2 Jan 4 2020 File

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch - Live Lecture Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only
    • Lecture - Please review before Jan. 12 Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

    • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - Overcoming Obstacles to Health- Chapter 3 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • RWJ Chapter 3: Provides an overview of how social factors influence health, and specifically pathways between social factors and health behaviors, contextualizing these behaviors within the socioecological model

    • Freeman CRT File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • Freeman CRT: Uses qualitative methods to explore the relationship between the lived experience of racism and discrimination and engagement with medical care

    • DM Christine File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • DM Christine: An applied paper investigating the impact of social factors on a health outcome (in this case, Type 2 DM)

    • Optional Readings:

    • Pampel Annu Review File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • DM Steve File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Thakur SDOH COVID ATS Journals 2020 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Racism and Health papers File

    • Assignment:

      Please submit to forum before class on January 12th:

      1. Write a brief paragraph discussing what social determinants are most relevant to your area of research and why. The association could be reported in published research or it could be your hypothesized relationship. Consider whether how these factors might function over the lifecourse and/or intergenerationally.

      2. Describe 2-3 health behaviors that are relevant to your area of interest. Write a paragraph exploring how these may be influenced by the social determinants you described in #1, and another paragraph considering how they are influenced by the levels of racism described in the Gardner’s Tale assigned in Week 1.

      3. Describe a qualitative or quantitative study design that could deepen your understanding of the relationship between social determinants of health, racism, health behaviors, and your health outcome of interest..


  • Tuesday, January 19, 2021; 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

    Lecture: Multi-level etiologies of health in diverse populations, Part 2: Health systems and health care determinants

    While the social determinants of health are key in determining who gets sick, health care access and quality is key to determining the outcome of illness.  This class will review how ethnic/racial (and other) health care disparities play out in the highly complex US health care system.  We will discuss the contributions of provider bias, health system structural inequities, and segregated care to health care disparities while also examining how fundamental assumptions about the role of the individual, family, and society play out in the care of acute and chronic illness. Finally, we will review the experience of quality improvement programs in mitigating health care disparities.

    Faculty:  Christine Dehlendorf and Cassondra Marshall

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

    • Session Slides:

    • Slides on HCD File

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch -Live Lecture Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
    • Lecture - Please review before Jan. 19 Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

    • Hidden Curriculum Brooks File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • A brief and powerful narrative piece describing how clinical providers (specifically, physicians) are acculturated in a way that produces health care disparities.

    • chapman Bias File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • A review of implicit bias among physicians, including its etiology, research documenting its presence and impact on care delivery, and strategies to mitigate its impact.

    • LEP DM File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • A empirical research study documenting the impact of a structural factor – having language concordant care providers – on health care outcomes.

    • pnas.201516047 pain article File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • We only ask that you read the abstract and the concluding remarks for this paper. This paper presents empirical evidence about one particular aspects of implicit bias that is related to inaccurate beliefs about the biological basis of race.

    • Optional Reading:

    • iom on health disparities.020601 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • Summary of the IOM Report Unequal Treatment

    • 5. Sacks - Race and Gender Concordance File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A qualitative analysis of patient perceptions around racial concordance with providers, including the need to consider broader structural factors that impact health care interactions regardless of the presence or absence of concordance.
    • Infant Mortality File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A paper with sophisticated statistical methods documenting the relationship between racial concordance and neonatal mortality.
    • Dovidio 2008 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A review of implicit bias and its effect on health care using a social psychology lens.
    • implicitbias review File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A systematic review of implicit bias and its influence on health care

    • Assignment:

      Please post to the forum by 8:45am on the day of class

      1. Write a paragraph describing how individual physicians may contribute to health CARE disparities in your area of interest. Then briefly describe what research could be done to either understand the effect of individual physicians on health disparities in this context, or to decrease this effect?

      2. While interpersonal bias is often the focus when thinking about health CARE disparities, structural issues within health care delivery are also implicated in health care disparities. An example of a structural issue is a lack of representation/diversity among health care providers. Please brainstorm 3 structural issues that might contribute to these disparities. Which of these are relevant to your particular area of research, and how?


  • Monday, January 25, 2021; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

    Homework Help

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

  • Tuesday, January 26, 2021; 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

    Lecture: Multi-level etiologies of health in diverse populations, Part 3: Biological determinants, mediators and mechanisms

    One of the most active areas of health disparities research is understanding how social experiences get “under the skin” to influence health. As discussed in previous classes, behavioral factors and clinical care are important mechanisms, but study after study has shown that behaviors and medical care cannot fully explain the magnitude of social inequalities in health. In this class we will review key hypothesized mechanisms via which adverse social experiences change human physiology and have enduring effects on long term health outcomes.  Leading hypotheses include the role of epigenetic changes; dysregulation of stress responses via hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis alterations; and physiologic triggers of behavioral patterns. We will discuss how these biological mechanisms directly relate to lifecourse models for the determinants of adult health. We will also discuss controversial perspectives on the role of genetic differences in creating social and racial inequalities in health.

    Faculty:  Kaja LeWinn

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

    • Session Slides:

    • Slides Week 4 File

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch -Live Lecture Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

    • Kuzawa et al-2009-American Journal of Human Biology File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • An overview of epigenetics and its relationship to disparities in health outcomes by race
    • Forrester Stress File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A review of the relationship between allostatic load and racial/ethnic disparities
    • McCrory SEP File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • This paper uses empiric methods to investigate the association of two proposed mechanisms (allostatic load and the epigenetic clock) for how socio-economic position becomes embedded in biology to produce poor health.

    • Optional Reading:

    • MESA epigenetics File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • An empiric study investigating the relationship between epigenetics and neighborhood.

    • Assignment:  

      Please post to the forum by 8:45am on the day of class

      Questions Related to Week 4 Readings:

      1. Write a paragraph describing to what extent do you think that gene by environment interactions can contribute to major disparities along racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, or geographic dimensions? Please consider this both in general and in respect to your particular area of interest. 

      2. Write a paragraph discussing implications and potential limitations of epigenetic mechanisms of disease for intergenerational effects on health disparities, as well as for interventions designed to address health disparities. 

  • Monday, February 1, 2021; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

    Homework Help

     Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

  • Tuesday, February 2, 2021; 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

    Lecture: Bringing it together: Applying the socioecological model in clinical and translational research

    An understanding of the multi-level influences on health and health disparities can improve the quality and impact of clinical and translational research. By applying an understanding of the impact of the social determinants of health and racism on health, researchers can optimize how they select research questions, apply research methods and analytic approaches to these question, and interpret these findings. In this session we will discuss approaches to accomplishing these goals, including the measurement of socioeconomic status and race, the inclusion of these factors in analytic models, and strategies to optimize recruitment and retention of diverse populations in research studies.

    Faculty:  Christine Dehlendorf

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

    • Session Slides:

    • Week 5 Lecture slides File
    • Intro Slides for Week 5 File

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch -Live Lecture Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
    • Lecture - Please review before Feb. 2 Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

    • Braveman Socioeconomic Status File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Using empiric examples, this paper demonstrates the importance of attention to how socioeconomic status is included in analytic models.
    • caulfield race File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • This article provides guidance for the use and reporting of race and ethnicity in research
    • Quinn SC 2012 Attributes of researchers File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A description of different approaches to recruiting and retaining representative study samples

    • Optional Reading:

    • Bidil BibbinsDomingo File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A paper by Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo and Alicia Fernandez on the controversy around the first FDA approval of a race-based therapeutic
    • Prather SEM File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • An example of the use of the socioecological model in conceptualizing clinical and translational research questions
    • jama goodman 2021 vp 200257 1611350536.05739 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A just published commentary on race and pharmacogenomics from JAMA
    • Mersha Race File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A paper describing, and critiquing, the use of race as a variable in clinical decision makig
    • Chambers2021 Article BlackWomenSPerspectivesOnStruc (1) File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • An example of using qualitative methods to investigate how to conceptualize the impact of racism on health outcomes (by Brittany Chambers, an Epi Faculty Member, and others)

    • Assignment:

      Please post to the forum by 8:45m on the day of class:

      Please make sure you have listened to all the lectures prior to answering this homework assignment. 
            

      1) Look back on your responses to the homework from Week 2 and Week 3 (Social Determinants of Health/Behavior and Health Care Disparities). How would you modify these responses based on the content presented in the lectures? Refer to specific concepts and/or slides in your responses, and include at least one example/area from each lecture from Week 2 and Week 3.

      2) Please comment on someone’s post on your homework forum for this homework assignment, providing constructive feedback.


      For those taking the 1-unit course, please submit this final assignment to the forum:          

      1) Building on the concepts described in the lecture, write a paragraph describing 3 things you are going to do differently based on the content covered in this course.

      2) Comment on one other person’s final post in your section, either agreeing with their plans (and indicating why) or providing constructive feedback


  • Monday, February 8, 2021; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

    Homework Help

     Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL



  • Tuesday, February 9, 2021; 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

    Lecture: Multi-level etiologies of health in diverse populations, Part 5: Social policy

    Many policies regulating areas such as housing, income security, education, criminal justice, environmental safety, or discrimination strongly influence health and health disparities, even though health was not the primary or original focus of these policies.  In other words, the most important policies affecting health may not be health policies at all, but rather policies that shape the multilevel determinants of health. Health researchers with multilevel frameworks are rapidly focusing research attention to formally evaluate how these policies influence health and health inequalities and provide evidence to policymakers about unanticipated health consequences of diverse policies. In this class we will discuss examples of such policies and approaches to rigorously evaluating the health impacts of policies.

    Faculty: Rita Hamad

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

    • Session Slides:

    • rhamad - Epi 222 social policies lecture, 9 Feb 2021 File

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch -Live Lecture Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

    • An analysis of the Moving to Opportunity Study, using experimental data to document the impact of neighborhood on health.
    • A paper investigating the impact of school desegregation on reproductive health outcomes using difference-in-difference models.
    • Collin 2020 - Short-term effects of EITC on mental health and health behaviors File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • An investigation using national data sets of the impact of the Earned Impact Tax Credit on mental health and health behaviors.

    • Optional Readings:

    • Assignment:

      Please post to the forum by 8:45am on the day of class

      · Identify a policy that is not usually intended to be a health policy but that you think may have important health implications.

      · Describe why an evaluation of that policy is informative (e.g., determining effects of the policy, or primarily a test of hypothesized mediators).

      · Specify the outcomes and populations you think most affected or least affected by the policy.

      · Propose a study design to evaluate the policy.

      · Describe biggest challenge to implementing and drawing inferences about the impact of the policy on health.


  • Monday, February 15, 2021 -- No Class -- Presidents Day

    Homework Help

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

  • Tuesday, February 16, 2021; 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

    Lecture: Basic measurement issues in health disparities research

    How do we describe the magnitude of health disparities, or decide whether health disparities are getting smaller or larger?  Although it may sound simple, there are many different approaches to quantifying disparities, and sometimes they give very different insights.  In this class we will compare some approaches, such as focusing on absolute versus relative inequalities and how to choose a reference category. We will also address some basic concepts in measurement of variables in health disparities research.  Rigorous, reproducible measurement protocols are essential to scientific progress, but many key variables in health disparities research are controversial to define or difficult to measure, such as segregation, racism, or social capital.  We will discuss some strategies to overcoming these measurement challenges and to give health disparities research a strong scientific grounding.

    Faculty:  Patience Afulani

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

    • Session Slides:

    • Afulani-Health disparities measurement-2-11-21 File
    • Methodological Issues in Measuring Health Disparities File

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch -Live Lecture Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

    • Krieger EverydayDiscrimination File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A paper describing the validation of a measure of everyday discrimination
    • Stewart- Can we afford to ignore measurement File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A commentary highlighting the relevance of thinking about measurement issues in health disparities research
    • Measures Epi File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • An exploration of use of relative vs. absolute measures of inequality

    • Optional Reading:


    • Atkins Racism File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A paper that summarizes available scales to measure racism
    • discrimination resource dec. 2020 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Afulani et al-2017-Kenya validation File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Keppel Measurement File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • Assignment:

       Hi everyone, homework this week has three parts. Please post to the forum by 8:45am on the day of class. 

      Part 1:

      1. Choose a paper describing the development or validation of a measure of relevance in health disparities research (please give the full citation and/or upload the paper if that's possible). Examples to get you thinking are measures of discrimination, self reported health outcomes, and measures of experiences of care.. 

      2. What was the definition of the construct?

      3. How did the authors provide evidence on the validity of the measure? Could you think of additional approaches to validating the measure?

      4. How did the authors provide evidence on the reliability of the measure? Could you think of additional approaches to evaluating the reliability of the measure?

      5. Are there limitations in how you would use this measure based on the population(s) with whom the measure was validated?

      6. Describe the implications of a lack of measurement validity or reliability for future research applications.

      Part 2:

      1. Find a paper describing a health disparity (please give the full citation or, even better, upload the paper so everyone else can look at it too)

      2. Summarize the construct and measurement of the dimension of disparity (e.g., racial inequalities?, SES inequalities?) and the outcome measured (e.g., self-rated health).

      3. What is the reference category used for the disparity measure (ie, who is the comparison group)? Why does this reference category make sense (or not) for this research question?

      4. How is the disparity quantified or measured? Is this an absolute or relative measure or are both provided? Describe which type of measure you would prefer for this research area, or, if both, why.

      Part 3:

      1. Read someone else's response to part 1 above (identifying a construct) and comment, specifically noting whether you can see any additional implications of measurement quality for future research or whether you agree with those noted by your classmate.

  • Monday, February 22, 2021; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

    Homework Help

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

  • Tuesday, February 23, 2021; 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

    Lecture:  Basic analytic issues in HDR

    Given the complex social and biologic context in which health disparities are manifested, research in this areas requires nuanced application of statistical concepts related to confounding, mediation, moderation, and clustering. In this lecture, we will highlight aspects of statistical analysis of particular relevance to health disparities, including how to quantify disparities and evaluate determinants of inequalities, how to best build multivariate models, how to investigate race/SES interactions, principles of sub-group reporting and statistical power in health disparities research, as well as an overview of multilevel analyses.

    Faculty:  Anusha M Vable

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

    • Session Slides:

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch -Live Lecture Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

    • Victora CG et al. The Role of Conceptual Frameworks in Epidemiological Analysis: A Hierarchical Approach. International Journal of Epidemiology. Voll. 26. No.1 1997 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Guidance on using conceptual frameworks to guide statistical analysis in research with relevance to health equity
    • Vable AM et al. Do the health benefits of education vary by sociodemographic subgroup? Differential returns to education and implications for health inequities. Annals of Epidemiology Vol 28 pg. 759-766. 2018 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • An applied paper from our lecturer for this week, illustrating analysis of effect modification. Try to not get bogged down in the details (especially not the tables), but rather appreciate the big picture relevance of this approach to understanding the nuanced reality of our world and how health is patterned.
    • Diez-Roux, AV. Bringing Context Back into Epidemiology: Variables and Fallacies in Multilevel Analysis. American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 88, No. 2. 1998 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • A conceptual piece about the importance of consider multilevel analytic techniques
    • Lorch SA et al. Factors That Mediate Racial/Ethnic Disparities in US Fetal Death Rates. American Journal of Phublic Health. Vol 102, No.10. October 2012 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • An applied paper using mediation to understand disparities. Focus on Intro, Methods, and Figure 1 (although the discussion does also add to the richness of the piece by interpreting the findings).

    • Optional Reading:

    • Coley SL. Does Neighborhood Risk Explain Racial Disparities in Low Birth Weight among Infants Born to Adolescent Mothers? J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2016 April ; 29(2): 122–129. File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Merlo J et al. A brief conceptual tutorial of multilevel analysis in social epidemiology: linking the statistical concept of clustering to the idea of contextual phenomenon. J Epidemiol Community Health 2005;59:443–449 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Kawachi, I and Subramanian SV. Measuring and Modeling the Social and Geographic Context of Trauma: A Multilevel Modeling Approach. Journal of Traumatic Stress. Vol. 19, No. 2. 2006 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • Resources:

    • Basic Analysis Issues for health disparities worksheet File

    • Assignment:

      Please post to the forum by 8:45am on the day of class

      1. Give an example of a research question for investigating racial/ethnic health disparities. In an analysis of this disparity, describe whether SES can act as [1] a confounder; [2] an effect modifier; [3] a mediator, and explain your answers. Discuss the interpretations/implications of the different approaches for including SES in an analysis of racial/ethnic disparities.

      2. Describe a potential effect modifier, mediator, or contextual variable (for definition of contextual variable, see Diez-Roux reading) for an association of interest to you and relevant to health disparities. For example, for investigating the association between education and hypertension, I might be interested in evaluating whether the association between years of education and hypertension is different for Black men than for White men. Describe how you would study whether this relationship exists.

      3. Respond to one other person's post on the forum with a comment or suggestion.


    • Slides for today File

  • Monday, March 1, 2021; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

    Homework Help

     Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL



  • Tuesday, March 2, 2021; 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

    Lecture: Strategic science in health disparities research

    Doing research that has an impact on our understanding of and ability to address health disparities requires being strategic about what research questions to ask and how to disseminate the results. This lecture will provide guidance on how to ensure your research has the greatest possible impact, including discussions of how to do research that is policy relevant, how to communicate one’s results to the media and public, and how to translate research results into policy.

    Faculty: Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

    • Session Slides:

    • strategic science.social determinants of health.03022021.FINAL File

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch -Live Lecture Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

    • Gollust AJPH Dec 2009 polarizing effects of news msgs re SDOH File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • socially responsible science.NATURE File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • BIDIL.ANNALs.BibbinsDomingo File
      Not available unless: Your ID number starts with 02

    • Optional Reading:

    • Winett et al AJPH Mommy Blame 2016 (1) (002) File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • Assignment:

      Please post to the forum by 8:45am on the day of class

      John Ruffin, former head of the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities wrote:

      "The 19th-century scientist and pathologist Rudolph Virchow gave voice to many of our present-day concerns about disparities and went a long way toward defining the task before us. A socially minded man, he believed that science should speak the language of the common people and that medicine should serve the public's health. He wrote, 'If medicine is to fulfill her greatest task, then she must enter the political and social life…'"

      Do you agree and why?  Is it permissible for scientists to become advocates in the areas of their research?  What steps can one take to balance advocacy with the objectivity that is considered the ideal in scientific inquiry?

      Please describe an of controversy for health disparities research that you learned about in this course, or alternatively an area of research that should be prioritized in health disparities. Include why you find this area interesting or controversial.



  • Monday, March 8, 2021; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

    Homework Help

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL



  • Tuesday, March 9, 2021; 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

    Lecture: Doing research to reduce health disparities

    While all health disparities research has a common goal of addressing pervasive and unjust differences in health outcomes, the research methods that can be employed to accomplish this goal are diverse. In this lecture, we will review the “three generations” of health disparities research – from description to intervention – and discuss toolbox of research approaches that can be used to answer questions relevant to health disparities across these generations, including qualitative methods, implementation research, patient-centered outcomes research, and community based participatory research.

    Faculty:  Christine Dehlendorf

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

    • Session Slides:

    • Week 10 Slides File

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch -Live Lecture Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

    • barbershop File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • An applied example of a clinical services intervention that “thinks outside the box” of how and where care can be provided to meet people’s needs.
    • annurev-publhealth-031210-101136 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • An overview of types (or generations) of research to address health inequities, with attention to Critical Race Theory/Public Health Critical Race Praxis
    • poi160066 (1) File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • An applied example of a clinical services intervention looking outward to the social determinants

    • Optional Reading:

    • Walton intervention File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • cliff-analogy File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Another paper by Camara Jones (who wrote the Gardner’s Tale) against using an metaphorical approach to describe approaches to address health inequality.

    • Assignment:

      Please post to the forum by 8:45am on the day of class

      1. After reading the article by Thomas et al., comment on where your research, or your research interests, fit into the generational framework for health disparities research. If your work is 1rst or 2nd generation, comment on how your work could lead in the future to 3rd or 4th generation work. If your work is 3rd or 4th generation, comment on what 1rst and 2nd generation work was necessary as a foundation for your current work (or current interests).

      2. The barbershop hypertension intervention, while essentially a clinical services intervention operating at either the fence or safety-net level as described by Jones, has some engagement with the social determinants of health. Interventions like that described in the Gottleib article are designed to mitigate the impact of social determinants. How could you apply one of these two types of interventions to your area of research? Propose one or two interventions that engage with social determinants on some level.

      3. Please respond to one other classmate's responses to this assignment – post this response as a separate post in the forum.


  • Monday, March 15 2021; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

    Homework Help

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

  • Tuesday, March 16, 2021; 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

    Lecture: Student presentation

    Each of you will give a short presentation to share with us something about how the material in this class has or will inform your work. This can really be anything, but examples would include application of the socioecological model to your area of research, measurement or analytic issues, and how to think strategically about your area of research.

    Each presenter will have 5-8 minutes, with a few minutes for questions, so you should only prepare 3-5 slides. In addition to this presentation, the final project will be a brief 1 page summary of what you will discuss in your presentation..

    Please send me your slides by midnight on Monday, March 15th so I can compile them all and we can be as efficient as possible (my email is christine.dehlendorf@ucsf.edu).

    Faculty: Christine Dehlendorf and Ellie Matthay

    Location (Access restricted to registered students): Zoom URL

    • Session Slides:

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch Michelle Section 03.16.2021 Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
    • Watch C.Dehlendorf Section 03.16.2021 Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only
    • Watch S.McKenzie-Sampson Section 03.16.2021 Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

    • Optional Reading:

    • PHCRP SSM File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Ford PHCRP File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • Assignment: