Curriculum

Track Structure:

Bimonthly Track Meetings (virtual/in-person mix).

  • 75% Session attendance required.
  • Each session has a syllabus with preparatory materials. (see attached sample syllabus)
  • -Residents/Fellows different specialties will work together in a team-based learning format to reinforce the key materials.

Curriculum:

The Health Disparities Scholarship Track (HDT) is a longitudinal, team-based learning (TBL) curriculum delivered over two years. The curriculum is designed to provide learners with a comprehensive, high-yield overview of health disparities and health equity, while allowing time for progressive skill-building and application. Participants must attend at least 75% of all meetings!

Content is organized across four major topic areas:

  • Core Knowledge and Foundations
  • Clinical Applications
  • Systems Thinking
  • Community Engagement

These topic areas were identified through a deliberate mapping process focused on the essential knowledge, skills, and perspectives needed to effectively address health inequities in clinical practice and health system leadership.

The HDT is offered in a hybrid format. Participants may attend sessions in person or join virtually. Most sessions are delivered using a TBL approach. Each session includes approximately two hours of preparatory work, which participants are expected to complete in advance. The live sessions focus on reinforcing high-yield concepts through discussion, application exercises, and problem-solving rather than didactic lecture.

A central feature of the curriculum is the use of real-world, place-based examples, many of which are grounded in the Hartford community. For example, during the Healthcare Access, Coverage, and Policy Inequities session, learners examine Medicaid coverage gaps across states and explore real reimbursement and coverage challenges that directly impact patient care.

Below is an outline of the HDT curriculum.

 

Core Knowledge & Foundations

1. Health Equity and Population Health (Session 1)

  • Define equity, disparities, and population health.
  • Explore frameworks for stratifying outcomes by race, insurance status, language, and geography.
  • Set the foundation for the program’s core themes.

2. Social and Structural Determinants of Health (Session 2)

  • Differentiate between social and structural determinants.
  • Understand the role of housing, transportation, employment, and education.
  • Analyze structural forces such as redlining, incarceration, and zoning policies.
  • Identify clinical tools for screening and addressing unmet social needs.

3. Implicit Bias, Structural Racism, and Cultural Humility

  • Reflect on how bias and racism influence patient care and outcomes.
  • Practice bias mitigation techniques and cultural humility in clinical scenarios.

 

Clinical Application

4. Caring for Patients Facing Structural Vulnerabilities

  • Deliver equitable care to immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, rural communities, people with disabilities, justice-involved individuals, and people experiencing homelessness or substance use.
  • Recognize intersectionality and unique barriers across these populations.

5. Communication, Language Access, and Digital Health Literacy

  • Use interpreters, plain language, and the teach-back method.
  • Understand barriers related to internet access, digital tools, and telehealth.
  • Assess health and digital literacy using validated tools.

6. Trauma-Informed, Resilient, and Relationship-Centered Care

  • Recognize how trauma impacts health and healing.
  • Create safe, empowering clinical environments.
  • Address clinician burnout and moral distress in equity work.

 

Systems Thinking

7. Healthcare Access, Coverage, and Policy Inequities (Session 3)

  • Examine Medicaid expansion, underinsurance, safety-net systems, and dual eligibles.
  • Explore policy-level drivers of inequitable access to care.

8. Bias in Clinical Algorithms, Decision Support, and Health Technology

  • Identify and challenge race-adjusted tools (e.g., eGFR, VBAC).
  • Understand the impact of bias in emerging technologies and AI.
  • Advocate for evidence-based revisions that promote equity.

9. Equity Implications of Value-Based Care and Payment Reform (Session 4)

  • Explore how value-based care, ACOs, and alternative payment models affect equity goals.
  • Learn strategies to avoid unintended disparities from cost-containment efforts.

 

Community Engagement & Advocacy

10. Community Engagement and Asset-Based Approaches

  • Partner with community-based organizations and promote local strengths.
  • Shift from deficit-based to asset-based thinking in healthcare innovation.

11. Advocacy, and Institutional Change

  • Learn advocacy tools for policy, systems transformation, and civic engagement.
  • Write op-eds, meet with legislators, and join equity-focused coalitions.
  • Navigate institutional resistance and build momentum for change.

12. Career Development with an Equity Focus

  • Explore career paths in equity research, community engagement, and policy.
  • Identify mentors and funding opportunities.
  • Build a long-term vision for leadership in health equity.