HEALTH EQUITY
Enrollment has now surpassed 900 students in the School of Public Health.
A New Center for Health Equity
As one of the most diverse schools of public health in the nation, we have a special obligation to leverage our expertise to ensure that everyone, everywhere has the opportunity to reach their full health potential.
With nearly $21 million in sponsored funding for research and outreach in the past year alone, we are redoubling our work to advance health equity. In fall 2023, SPH will establish a new Center for Health Equity. The Center will conduct impactful research that builds knowledge toward the reduction and elimination of health disparities, especially as it relates to urban populations. The Center will be supported by School and University resources to ensure a strong foundation for research, interdisciplinary engagement across the university, and collaboration with leaders, communities, and organizations in metro Atlanta. The Center will support GSU SPH’s position as a leader in advancing health equity research and in developing solutions that can be scaled for reach and impact.
Health Equity in Action
Funded by a $3.75 million Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant, the Prevention Research Center at Georgia State develops, implements and evaluates culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions to address the disparities and determinants of health for refugees, migrants and other members of the Clarkston community.
Kreuter Katz Lecture on Health Equity
Healthcare Georgia Foundation funds an annual lectureship focusing on health equity and disparities in honor of Dr. Marshall Kreuter and Ms. Martha Katz. Since 2014, the Kreuter Katz Lecture has brought nationally recognized leaders from a range of fields to Georgia State to engage with faculty, students and community members.
Vision 2027 Strategic Plan
Created through a collaborative and iterative process, the Vision 2027 Strategic Plan is guiding the continued growth of the School of Public Health. With four key goals supported by priority initiatives, it advances the school’s vision to achieve health equity through principled leadership in research, training and practice—locally, nationally and globally. A priority initiative is the creation of an interdisciplinary research center to support health equity research and training.
Southern Urban Research for Growth and Equity (SURGE)
The School of Public Health is leading the interdisciplinary Southern Urban Research for Growth and Equity (SURGE) initiative, which is working to engage Metro Atlanta communities of color to address health disparities and capacity building. The SURGE initiative is supported by seed funding from Georgia State President M. Brian Blake’s Research Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) challenge.
The Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development promotes the health, safety and well-being of children, adults and families through research, service, education, training and advocacy. It houses five centers:
- The Center for Leadership in Disability translates research into sustainable community practices that contribute to independent, self-determined, inclusive and productive lives for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their families;
- The Georgia Association for Infant Mental Health: Birth to Five builds culturally responsive preventive and therapeutic professional capacities to promote family, infant, and early childhood mental health development.
- The National Center on Child Trafficking uses a science-driven approach to guide the development, adaptation, implementation and evaluation of trauma-informed interventions and resources addressing sex and labor trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.
- The National SafeCare Training and Research Center implements nationwide the SafeCare model, an evidence-based family support program that has been shown to reduce child maltreatment; and
- Prevent Child Abuse Georgia works to increase public awareness and implementation of programs and practices that prevent child abuse and neglect by developing trainings, educating communities and connecting families to resources.
The Mark Chaffin Center also hosts the annual John R. Lutzker Lecture Series, which this year focused on centering race and racism in developmental science and in previous years has addressed issues such as barriers to addressing the mental health needs of Black youth.