Social and structural determinants of health—the conditions into which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life—account for at least half of health outcomes.
The Health Justice Practicum takes a specifically antiracist approach to the interplay of law, policy, health systems, social identity, and health inequities. Students collaborate with frontline health care providers who serve marginalized populations, people with lived experience of marginalization, public health experts, community organizations, and other stakeholders on projects where providers and patients have identified a systemic problem affecting health and wellbeing.
For example, health care providers and patients at Boston Medical Center (BMC) have identified problems in Massachusetts law that significantly harm low-income parents in recovery from substance use disorders and their children, and disproportionately harms Black, Indigenous, and Latinx families.
- Children born to people prescribed evidence-based medication for opioid use disorder (e.g., methadone treatment) are reported at birth to the Department of Children and Families as if the birthing parent were in active drug use.
- Children born to parents of colorare more likely than children born to white parents both to be reported to child protection authorities and to be separated from their families as a result. The trauma of custody disruption has demonstrated serious effects on both recovering parents and child health and development.
In addition to legal and/or policy advocacy, students provide capacity-building support to frontline health care providers to enhance the health care response to patient needs with legal dimensions.
The practicum’s medical partner, Project RESPECT (Recovery, Empowerment, Social Services, Prenatal Care, Education, Community and Treatment), is a medical and behavioral health home-base at BMC for pregnant/postpartum people in all stages of recovery from substance use disorders.
Student-advocates in the Health Justice Practicum attend weekly seminars and team meetings as well as work on research and advocacy projects. Seminars teach advocacy skills and enable students to deepen their understanding of projects by placing them in a broader historical and social contexts. Project work provides students with opportunities to hone their collaboration, interviewing, research, analytical, writing, presentation, and problem-solving skills. Student teams also meet separately with practicum supervisors to discuss their project work.
Credits
This is designed as a one-semester Practicum offering two graded credits.
Faculty
