2025 - History of and Current Systemic Racism/Oppression Impacting Health Outcomes

The purpose of this module is to reflect on the historical, societal, and institutional constructs of systemic racism and oppression and the impact on individual, group, and population health outcomes. Students will gain an understanding about how historical and current events shaped systemic practices including addressing  belief systems, cultural norms, interpersonal and group dynamics, and how these factors influence health.  Students will reflect on how factors have perpetuated issues and challenges and will identify possible strategies to change disparate system paradigms.

Learning Objectives:

• Introduce and describe the concept of structural racism in terms of how it operates, the long and short term affects and impact on health outcomes.
• Critique and discuss the efficacy of the myth of Meritocracy and the life course implications on health outcomes.

Learning Outcomes:

• Recognize the systemic nature of racism and how it is implemented.
• Compare the short- and long-term outcomes from the practice of racism.
• Demonstrate how systematic racism has directly affected their personal lives.
• Identify the health implications of systematic racism.