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Minal R. Patel

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Associated with the Master of Public Health degree
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Addressing Racial Health Inequity in Healthcare SpecializationUniversity of Michigan

What you will learn

Recognize the historical backdrop that created disproportionate disease burden within racial/ethnic groups.
Explain factors within the structure and delivery of healthcare that cause racial and ethnic disparities in health status and outcomes.
Critically appraise approaches to address racial inequity in healthcare, all within the US and international contexts.
How history & the factors of lack of access & representation in healthcare parallels other sectors in the U.S. and international contexts

About this Specialization

Recent events have once again put a spotlight on 400+ years of racism that has deeply entrenched our everyday structures, notably healthcare delivery. There is a significant need to provide a deep skillset to learners who have significant potential to change this system towards equity. Reducing racial and ethnic health disparities is core to the mission of public health. The healthcare delivery system contributes to these disparities in unique and complex ways. In this MOOC series, we will learn about the sociological contributions and historical backdrop of why racial inequities exist in healthcare. We will also critically analyze the various causes of racial inequities in healthcare. And lastly, we will go through approaches to achieving equity in healthcare.

Applied Learning Project

There is one peer-reviewed assignment in Week 3 of every course, summarized below:

Course 1: learners will select a country, U.S. state, city or town and explore its health status by creating a "health profile," introducing learners to looking into health-related literature and help develop the skills necessary to recognize racial disparities in healthcare.

Course 2: learners will select a country or U.S. state and explore the healthcare structure by creating a "healthcare structure profile," teaching learners to gather factual statements about healthcare systems and develop the skills necessary to analyze the causes of racial/ethnic disparities in healthcare that stem from the system structure.

Course 3: learners will select a country or U.S. state and create an intervention to address a specific racial/ethnic disparity in healthcare, allowing them to think through the possible interventions and solutions to address a specific disparity in healthcare.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 4 months to complete

Suggested pace of 4 hours/week

English

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 4 months to complete

Suggested pace of 4 hours/week

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

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How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 3 Courses in this Specialization

Course1

Course 1

History of Racial Inequity in Healthcare

The first course of the Addressing Racial Health Inequity in Healthcare specialization will first situate the role of public health in healthcare, and walk through important concepts and definitions that you will see throughout the course and subsequent courses. You will walk through the social and biological perspectives on the concepts of race and racism, and unpack the history of unequal treatment in the U.S. You will learn about the health insurance system in the U.S., differential access to care, and professional challenges to diversity in healthcare. And finally, you will explore examples of resilience in healthcare that were critical to preserving the health of marginalized populations.

Course2

Course 2

Causes of Racial Inequity in Healthcare

The second course of the Addressing Racial Health Inequity in Healthcare specialization you will journey through a survey of critical drivers of racial inequities in healthcare. These critical drivers need to be known in order to implement interventions that can achieve health equity.

You will explore issues that arise around the financing of healthcare in the U.S, and how this system enables race-based disparities. You will then explore the multiple dimensions of access to care, and how various dimensions perpetuate racial inequities in care. You will also discuss the historical backdrop of mistreatment in healthcare settings that remains pervasive among racial groups. And finally, you will unpack implicit bias and how these biases influence diagnosis and treatment patterns among different racial groups.

Course3

Course 3

Achieving Health Equity in Healthcare

The third and the last course of the Addressing Racial Health Inequity in Healthcare specialization will go through various approaches that are used to addressing racial inequity in healthcare., and the strengths and challenges of those approaches. You will explore legal, policy, and regulatory approaches to interventions such as Title IX in the United States. You will explore what is being done to intervene on providers to reduce differential care. You will unpack quality improvement and multiple approaches to leveraging healthcare systems and community partnerships to address access to care. You will also come to understand the history and role of community health centers in being critical infrastructure in addressing the health needs of diverse populations. Finally, you will be introduced to the workforce initiatives and the reparations that aim to close the racial and ethnic healthcare disparities gaps.

Instructor

Minal R. Patel

Associate Professor, Health Behavior & Health Education

School of Public Health

1,380 Learners

3 Courses

Offered by

University of Michigan

Start working towards your Master's degree

This specialization is related to the 100% online Master of Public Health from University of Michigan. It will provide you with a preview of the topics, materials and instructors so you can decide if the full online degree program is right for you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the refund policy?
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Can I take the course for free?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
How long does it take to complete the Specialization?
Each course is 5 weeks long, so it will take you approximately 15 weeks to complete the specialization. Learners are expected to dedicate 4-5 hours per week to the course content.
What background knowledge is necessary?
An interest in public health and a desire to learn more in order to:
Recognize the historical backdrop that created disproportionate disease burden within racial/ethnic groups.
Explain factors within the structure and delivery of healthcare that cause racial and ethnic disparities in health status and outcomes.
Critically appraise approaches to address racial inequity in healthcare.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
Yes! We strongly encourage you to take the courses in the following order, as the courses build upon one another in this order:
History of Racial Inequity in Healthcare
Causes of Racial Inequity in Healthcare
Achieving Health Equity in Healthcare
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
At this time, there is not university credit available for completing the specialization.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
Potential Master of Public Health (MPH) applicants and/or Public Health majors will benefit from this series because it serves as a solid orientation to critical concepts, historical roots, and factors of racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare. Such orientation emphasizes the role of public health in combating racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare.
Students in health professional training programs or those looking to enter health professional training programs will benefit from this series as it highlights the historical and current role of healthcare systems in contributing to racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare. Such highlights will provide future health professionals knowledge of good practices and what role they can play to combat racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare
Healthcare practitioners will benefit from this series as it provides a critical appraisal of the history and the current situation of racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, in the United States and in international contexts. With such appraisal, healthcare practitioners will be able to understand the issues healthcare disparities they see first-hand, and significantly contribute to combating such issues, in the United States and globally.

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Addressing Racial Health Inequity in Healthcare Specialization

What you will learn

About this Specialization

Applied Learning Project