The UAB Heersink School of Medicine is pleased to announce the launch of the Distinction in Health Equity. This opportunity for students is part of a larger Heersink School of Medicine initiative called Areas of Distinction. The Distinction in Health Equity is being developed to address a critical area to the mission of the school, equipping students to combat health disparities in their future careers.
In 2024, 43.4% of our graduates hope to work in the state of Alabama, 24.4% plan to work primarily in an underserved area, and 32.5% plan to care primarily for an underserved population. Therefore, it is vital that Heersink School of Medicine provides its students with the knowledge and skills necessary to support and care for patients from historically marginalized groups.
The goal of this distinction will be to guide students in focusing their education to develop expertise in addressing health disparities on both the individual and the population level. The distinction will recognize students committed to acquiring and using this training to benefit other students and their patients.
The learning objectives for the distinction in health equity are:
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“It is our hope that by creating a clear pathway for students who want to be prepared to care for historically marginalized patients and populations in their future practice, we can move the needle on crucial health issues in our state and in our nation,” said Craig Hoesley, M.D., senior associate dean for Medical Education.
Students will be required to complete coursework in health equity, through selected programs such as Health Equity Scholars, CU2RE, or the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, or selected coursework such as special topics and elective courses in equity-related topics. Courses that would earn credit toward the distinction include Community Health Education (06-454), Spanish for Healthcare Professionals (06-456), and numerous Special Topics courses, including Spirituality and Medicine, Practice in Rural Alabama, and Population Health in Underserved Communities.
Application is a key component of this distinction, and awardees will also be required to complete 12 hours of clinical care with medically underserved patients, 40 hours of community service, and 20 hours of service learning elective work. The Office of Service Learning is positioned to guide students to a variety of options for completing these requirements, including work at Equal Access Birmingham, the free clinic run by Heersink School of Medicine students, volunteering with one of our 17 student service organizations, or participating in service opportunities that are embedded in the preclinical modules.
Development of expertise in health equity will also be demonstrated by awardees through scholarly activity and teaching. Students will be required to choose a scholarly activity project that involves the study of health disparities, and it will be pre-approved by the administration of the distinction. Additionally, students earning the distinction will teach four hours as a Teaching Associate (TA) in courses and programs related to health equity. The Office of Service Learning will offer these TA opportunities to all fourth-year students who are on track to earn the distinction.
Students interested in the distinction will not need to complete a formal application nor be chosen for the program. Funding will not be necessary to complete the requirements for the distinction, and there is no upper limit of students who can earn the distinction. Once enrolled, students will receive instructions as to how to document completion of the required elements, and they will work independently, at their own pace, on completing the requirements. Once they complete the requirements, students will meet with Caroline Harada, M.D., associate dean for Strategic Initiatives and director of the Distinction in Health Equity, to review their portfolio and determine whether the distinction will be awarded.
Students who are interested in working to meet the requirements of the distinction can be enrolled in the course by emailing Rodriguez@uab.edu.