Black Health Justice Pathway

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Apply to the BHJP Health Pathway!

Welcome to the Black Health Justice Pathway!

Mission

Provide a curriculum that highlights the systemic oppression of Black people and its resulting socioeconomic and health sequelae. Provide medical students with the foundational knowledge to assess health inequities through a critical lens. Provide medical students with tools to advocate for health equity within the UWSOM, in Black communities throughout WWAMI, and in their future practices as physicians.

Learning Goals & Objectives

Provide a history of the Black population and the systemic racism that has led to their oppression.
Learn to provide effective and compassionate medical care to Black patients.
Foster collaboration between community organizations and the UWSOM that emphasizes active community involvement.
Investigate disparities and improve the health of Black communities locally.

Pathway Requirements Overview

REQUIRED COURSEWORK

1. Core Course

FAMED 525 African American Health and Health Disparities (1 credit).

2. Online modules via Canvas page

Access to Healthcare and Cycles of Dehumanization (Powerpoint Presentation)
o Written Assignment – Explore healthcare access in one Black community / population, citing sources for historical, economic, political forces providing and preventing access. Further, discuss benefits and pitfalls of current plans to address this medical issue.
o Social Structures and Health-Related Consequences (Powerpoint Presentation)
o Optional Reading – Harriet A. Washington’s Medical Apartheid
o Written Assignment – Choosing one social system/policy (i.e. Food deserts, health insurance, redlining, education funding, etc.), use sources to explore how these systems/policies impact one’s health status. Make a case for an original proposal/amendment that might mitigate the link between this system/policy and its health-related consequence.

3. Completion of one other non-clinical elective with content pertinent to Black health issues.
Examples of accepted classes include but are not limited to:

o FAMED 526: Community Focused Urban Health: Determinants Disparities, and Equity (1) W
o FAMED 527: Community-Focused Urban Health: Inter-professional Care of Urban UnderResourced Patients (1) A
o FAMED 550: Critical Race Theory and Community in Medicine (1) Sp
o URBDP 514: Race and Social Justice Seminar (1) AWSp
o UCONJ 624: Health Equity and Community Organizing (1) AW
o SPH 489: Structural Racism and Public Health (1) AWSp
o SPH 589: Undoing Racism in Public Health (1) AWSp

CLINICAL REQUIREMENTS:

1. (To be named) clerkship. Third and fourth year medical students will provide healthcare delivery to Black communities at an urban healthcare facility for four weeks (8-12 credits).

SERVICE LEARNING, ADVOCACY, COMMUNITY SERVICE OR ENGAGEMENT

Pathway students must complete 36 hours of service learning, advocacy, community service and/or engagement in Black communities. Students will be encouraged to work with historically Black organizations to explore the histories and current work surrounding health disparities in our local communities.

SCHOLARLY PROJECT

Students must complete a scholarly project with a Black health focus. III projects completed within the context of RUOP at urban underserved sites automatically qualify for credit. III projects completed in other ways (i.e., MSRTP project) can be given credit if the topic is related to issues or if permission is granted by the Pathway Director. Students completing a project outside of the context of III may work with local grassroots organizations focused on serving the Black community.

Upon completion of all requirements, students will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.

If interested in the Black Health Justice Pathway, please contact Holly Kennison at SAL20@uw.edu