Thread Leader
Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Pulmonology); Program Director, Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship, Pediatrics; Medical Director, Pediatric Aerodigestive Center, Pediatrics; Leader, Health Equity Thread, Yale School of Medicine, Pediatrics
Thread Deputy Leader
Associate Clinical Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases) and Associate Professor Adjunct of Medicine (General Medicine); Deputy Leader, Health Equity Thread, Office of Education; Course Director, Populations & Methods: the Application of Epidemiology and Biostatistics to Public Health, Yale School of Public Health
The aspiration of the Health Equity Thread is to train the next generation of physicians and physician scientists who will shape a more equitable healthcare system. They will also be innovators in medical education who champion workforce diversity and conduct research to support transformation.
The Health Equity Thread is active across the four years of Yale medical education, and has three organizational priorities: 1) teaching health equity content through formal lectures, panel discussions, interactive workshops, and consultations; 2) providing curricular enhancements through faculty development workshops, retreats, and the development of health equity tools; and 3) building a Health Equity Thread infrastructure through collaborations with course and clerkship directors, advocacy groups, and the Health Equity Thread Advisory Group.
The areas of content include – but are not limited to – inequities related to sex and gender, racial and ethnic identities, LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities, persons with disabilities, and vulnerable groups based on immigration status.
The pedagogical approach to health equity is grounded in an educational framework that challenges learners to think critically about the influence of sociocultural, political, economic, and environmental determinants on health. This approach acknowledges the important influence of students’ experiences – it is expected that at times, students will be the experts on some topics related to equity and share in the role of teacher thereby enhancing learning for all.