Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities
Winter 2025 (1 or 2 units)
Clinical and translational research requires consideration of the diverse influences and contexts affecting and constraining people’s behaviors and health-related outcomes. To conduct high-quality research in diverse populations, researchers should grasp concepts such as race/ethnicity, structural and interpersonal racism, and socioeconomic status, including how these factors affect the development of research questions, data collection and analysis, and dissemination of research findings. Understanding these concepts and proactively incorporating a socioecological perspective into clinical and translational research is essential for both those doing research focused on health equity and for any researcher working with and interested in how their work will impact diverse populations. This course provides a conceptual and practical overview of these topics, with a focus on the needs of researchers working within the United States.
Through taking the 5-week, 1-unit course, researchers will learn about the socioecological model of health and how to incorporate this framework into their research, thereby deepening their ability to perform high-quality research with relevance to diverse populations. Researchers enrolled in the 10-week, 2-unit course will cover more advanced material related to the conduct of health disparities research for those specifically interested in understanding the causes of and solutions to inequalities in health by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
Objectives
At the end of the 1-unit course, scholars will be able to:
- Identify the meaning and implications of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other core concepts, recognizing how these constructs are shaped by systems of power and oppression.
- Comprehend the socioecological model of health, applying a critical lens to how structural racism, interpersonal racism, and other forms of oppression shape health disparities across multiple levels over time.
- Recognize the essential nature of diversity in recruitment and retention of study participants.
In addition, scholars enrolled in the 2-unit course will be able to:
- Employ a rigorous approach to measurement in research in diverse populations, including conceptually and structurally informed approaches to the measurement of race, gender, and socioeconomic status.
- Apply analytic methods that incorporate structurally and conceptually informed considerations, including acknowledging intersectionality, when studying health disparities.
- Recognize the essential role of community engagement when conducting research with diverse populations, emphasizing the need for equitable partnerships and the value of lived experiences in shaping research questions, methods, and dissemination strategies.
- Comprehend the application and relevance of different study design generations and their ability to advance health equity.
View the Course Introduction video for a further description of course objectives and logistics
Prerequisites
Designing Clinical Research (EPI 202). Exceptions to this prerequisite may be made with the consent of the Course Director, space permitting.
Faculty
| Course Director: |
Professor, Family Community Medicine |
| Course Director: |
Associate Profession, Epidemiology & Biostatistics |
Format
Course content will be delivered through weekly interactive lectures. These will take place on Tuesdays from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, Jan. 7 to Feb. 5 for the 1-unit course and Jan. 7 to Mar. 18 for the 2-unit course. An optional online homework help will be held on Monday, 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
The daily schedule of activities will be posted on the course's online syllabus.
Materials
All materials will be available on the course's online syllabus.
Grading
Grades will be based on homework assignments.
Students not in full-year TICR Programs who satisfactorily pass all course requirements will receive, upon request, a Certificate of Course Completion.
Only UCSF students (defined as individuals enrolled in UCSF degree or certificate programs) will receive academic credit for courses. Official transcripts are available to UCSF students only. A Certificate of Course Completion will be available upon request to individuals who are not UCSF students and satisfactorily pass all course requirements.
To Enroll
ATCR and MAS students use the Student Portal
Students taking individual courses:
Course Fees
How to pay (please read before applying)
Winter 2025 Course Schedule
Apply by January 6, 2025