Health equity research seeks to identify and examine the social factors impacting health. In our research, we seek to address these social drivers of health, which have an influence above and beyond individuals’ health-related knowledge and behaviors. Accordingly, we conduct research to identify and analyze health disparities and create interventions to address these disparities in order to help individuals and communities achieve the highest possible health status and best quality of life.

A guiding question in our work is: How can we integrate the department’s other strategic areas (rural health, community engagement and participatory approaches, and theoretically based and culturally informed interventions) to work towards health equity?