There are growing health needs as the U.S. population ages, and relatedly, a rise in demand for qualified health professionals. Along these lines, there is also a need to understand the root causes of poor health, develop innovative strategies to prevent disease, and importantly, reduce gaps in health, particularly those experienced in groups that are most vulnerable. In this vein, the Certificate in Health Equity Science (CHES) was created: (1) to help foster the next generation of scholarship on health equity research; (2) enhance knowledge on the determinants of health and promote the skills of those who are or will be in health professions; and (3) ultimately improve health outcomes among those groups disproportionately burdened by poor health in the effort to achieve health equity.
There is increasing recognition for the need to address health inequities in the context of an ecosocial framework that emphasizes the interplay between multiple ecological levels. This understanding of health and health inequities is also echoed by several agencies. For example, Healthy People 2020, which provides benchmarks for health for the U.S. population, has listed as its goals to “achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups”, to “create social and physical environments that promote good health for all”, and to “promote quality of life, healthy development, and healthy behaviors across all life stages.”
This multi-level perspective is an integral part of health scholarship and is also an asset for health professionals directly engaging communities and patients. The undergraduate and graduate CHES programs are an invaluable resource for students to gain a broad base of knowledge on the determinants of health at multiple levels, as well as more in-depth and specialized skills pertaining to specific topic areas in health equity. equity.
Programs of Study
The undergraduate Certificate in Health Equity Science (CHES) cultivates health ecology and equity scholarship and develops leaders committed to addressing health inequities. Students will acquire a foundation of knowledge on health ecology and equity issues, and gain practical skills through direct engagement of disadvantaged communities and professional development opportunities. Program graduates will have a strong understanding of how multiple ecological levels, spanning from social context to biology, interact throughout human development to generate health risks. Students will also learn how this knowledge translates into health-promoting policies and community-level interventions.
This certificate is particularly appropriate for undergraduate students wishing to pursue future graduate studies in a health-related field, or work at a community-based organization, health center or local or national health department. It is also highly applicable to those seeking a career in the health professions, including medicine, nursing, social work and public health.
The Graduate Certificates in Health Equity Science (CHES) is administered through the College of Human Sciences under the purview of the Health Disparities Research Initiative (HDRI). CHES is part of the training mission of HDRI, which aims to cultivate scholarship on health ecology and equity and to develop leaders committed to addressing health inequities. Students completing these certificate programs will acquire a foundation of knowledge on health ecology and equity issues, and understand the role of social context in generating disease risks and disparities in health between groups. Students will also learn how this corpus of knowledge can be translated into health-promoting policies and community-level interventions.
This certificate is appropriate for graduate students wishing to pursue studies in a health-related field, or work at a community-based organization, health center or local or national health department. It is also highly applicable to those seeking a career in the health professions, including medicine, nursing, social work and public health.
Additional Information
Regularly admitted undergraduate students at Auburn University are eligible to participate. Students are encouraged to enroll in the undergraduate CHES prorgam by the time they reach junior standing. The certificate program requires 12 credit hours of coursework and completion of this certificate will appear on the official Auburn University transcript. Required coursework as follows:
1. HUSC 5930: Society and Health (3 semester hours)
2. HUSC 5950: Seminar in Health Ecology and Equity (2 semester hours)
3. Six (6) additional semester hours through elective courses
- Identify social determinants of health at various levels of analysis (e.g., individual, family, workplace, neighborhood, region, or nation) and describe how they influence specific health outcomes.
- Identify how social inequities and adversities experienced across the life span generate health disparities.
- Utilize knowledge of health disparities and social determinants of health to critique policies or community-level interventions.
- Become proficient in interpreting how knowledge generated by specific empirical studies could help to address social inequities.
- Become proficient in critiquing studies of health disparities, and formulating ideas for future research. (graduate certificate only)
Program Faculty
