Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities
Winter 2026 (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.