Purpose

The purpose of the Distinction Track in Health Equity & Medical Justice is to provide professional and personal development opportunities to refine student skills and competencies as change agents for health equity using a social justice framework.

Objectives

• Introduce students to core principles of social justice.
• Explore the identities that make up who we are and better understand the extent to which these identities impact all we do.
• Increase knowledge of the scope of health disparities in the US healthcare system.
• Deepen student understanding of the dynamics of oppression at the individual, group, cultural, and systems levels and how certain populations bear a disproportionate burden of disease and mortality secondary to oppression.
• Explore social issues in health by heightening student knowledge and skills in social awareness and cultural awareness as it relates to their future practice as physicians.

Student Outcomes

• Attend lectures and complete self-paced modules related to social justice and health disparities, accumulating in the earning of a DIHEMJ Certificate. 
• Learn critical appraisal skills through exploring and discussing social justice literature together. 
• Use critical reflection to personally process thought-provoking issues in social justice and health equity within our community. 
• Increase student capacity to work as scholars through information sessions on library skills, IRB and research techniques, etc. 
• Create a specific social justice and health equity mentored scholarly project. 
• Disseminate scholarly products production (i.e., presentations, publications, white-papers, grants, policy development, etc.) on a local, regional, national, and/or international level. 

Criteria for Selection

Acceptance is based on the student’s previous experience in social justice, their career goals, and how the DIHEMJ track benefits those goals. 

Application Process

Applicants must submit an application and a written response to one of two essay questions. DIHEMJ leadership will evaluate the applicants and determine acceptance by early spring.

Curriculum

M1 Year

The DIHEMJ will be introduced to first-year medical students during the Spring Semester through information sessions, which will include review of the track curriculum, objectives, outcomes, and Q&A opportunities for interested students. Mentors will be identified for potential DIHEMJ students and students will be encouraged to begin thinking about the research they would like to pursue within DIHEMJ.

M2 Year

• Attend monthly group meetings to discuss materials related to social justice, identity, oppression, privilege, bias, history of healthcare inequities and practices against underserved communities/communities of color, current and past health disparities in the Louisville Metro area.
• Read and participate in discussions of Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington over the course of the academic year.
• Participate in site visits and tours that illustrate local current and past social injustices and introduce students to underserved populations.
• Self-reflect on personal identity and implement practices to eliminate bias and strive for equity and advocacy.
• Complete an “Un-essay” at the end of the academic year to demonstrate acquired knowledge as it relates to HEMJ principles.
• Choose a mentor and engage in regular meetings; meet with other DIHEMJ leadership.

M3 Year

• Attend meetings to discuss materials related to social justice, identity, oppression, privilege, bias, history of healthcare inequities and practices against underserved communities/communities of color, current and past health disparities in the Louisville Metro area, building on concepts learned during the M2 year.
• Understand the requirements of research.
• Understand the steps to publication.
• Meet with mentor and engage in regular meetings; meet with other DIHEMJ leadership on a regular basis.
• Read and participate in discussions of The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein over the course of the academic year.
• Determine research project and begin collecting data for presentation of research during M4 year.
• Complete an “Un-essay” at the end of the academic year to demonstrate acquired knowledge of material during the year.

M4 Year

• Attend meetings to discuss materials related to social justice, identity, oppression, privilege, bias, history of healthcare inequities and practices against underserved communities/communities of color, current and past health disparities in the Louisville Metro area, continuing to build on concepts learned over the course of the distinction.
• Read and participate in discussions of Dying of Whiteness by Jonathan M. Metzl over the course of the academic year.
• Present anti-racism research during Research!Louisville and other regional/national meetings.
• Submit a manuscript for publication

Faculty & Mentors