Public Policy

Achieving health equity requires close attention to policies. Traditionally, people think of policy as something imposed by government, and largely via legislation. Yet, institutional practices and policies within the private sector can also impact health.

The research is clear: the conditions in which people live, learn, work, play, and worship significantly impact health. Addressing inequities in access to resources and health-promoting environments is critical to achieving health equity. In the same way that both institutional policies and public policies impact health care delivery, policies affecting sectors outside health care have major impacts on population health and health equity.

On this page, you’ll find helpful information such as the latest progress updates and journal publications about what we’ve learned so far in this area.

Via joint seminars, research collaborations across disciplines, policy-focused symposia, and invited professorships; The Center for Health Equity is expanding the discourse regarding how best to achieve health equity goals. These seminars and invited professorships have focused on the role of research in informing policy at the local, state, and national levels. Researchers from varied disciplines including public health and political science have shared their research on diverse issues including understanding the impacts of criminal justice policies and practices in U.S. cities on communities of color, exploring the relationship between economic policies and health among African-American communities in the U.S., and examining the role of economic development and gentrification in modulating access to healthy foods and cardiovascular disease risk among African Americans. 

The Center for Health Equity is committed to bringing research into policy decisions within private institutions, at all levels of government, and across sectors. Approaches to improving the lives of all people that address poverty, neighborhood conditions, education, employment, and access to healthcare can all support health equity.