Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #106458

Suzanne Selig, PhD, MPH, Health Sciences and Administration, University of Michigan-Flint, 2102 WSW, 303 E. Kearsley, Flint, MI 48502, (810) 762-3172, sselig@umflint.edu

This presentation will describe the development and implementation of an academic course, Cultural Competence in Health Care. This course is required for undergraduate and graduate students in Health Education at a public university. The course was developed through a collaborative campus-community partnership to reduce health disparities through a focus on reducing racism. Students learn the critical role racism plays in becoming culturally competent. The course blends education and training by including academic materials on the history and oppression of African-Americans and other ethnic minority groups in America; along with in-class experiential learning opportunities to enhance self-awareness of individual and institutional contributions to racism. This course challenges students to move outside their comfort zones to understand the impact that racism has on health care access and health outcomes. The course is team taught with one university-based and one community-based instructor each bringing different perspectives and skill sets to the classroom. This presentation will highlight the course content, emergent themes from student essays, a summary of student comments from course evaluations and a follow-up survey.

Learning Objectives:

• List the basic components of cultural competence
• Describe the role that racism plays in cultural competence
• Identify the benefits of including experiential learning into an academic course promoting social justice
• Recognize the challenges in moving students beyond their comfort zone

Keywords: Social Justice, Cultural Competency

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation