Health Equity Division

Health Equity is a multidisciplinary Division within the Wayne State University School of Medicine's Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences. HED Division faculty are drawn from the disciplines of biostatistics, epidemiology, health education, environmental health, medicine, psychology, and sociology as well as broadly from the field of public health.  Our faculty work on studies addressing health at all stages in the life span, from newborns to the elderly.

Two principles provide perspective for much of our work.

  • Tremendous and persistent disparities exist in relation to race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status.
  • Cumulative exposures and experiences across the life course are intertwined with biological, social, and cultural determinants of health. 

Our goal is to improve the health of populations, and in particular to reduce disparities in the health of populations across the life course. 

To accomplish this goal we:

  1. Conduct research on the social and biologic determinants of health across the life course, including comparative as well as within population research to understand and address health disparities.
  2. Conduct methods research to improve upon measurement and analytic strategies in health equity research.
  3. Develop partnerships and collaborations with clinicians, communities and institutions to improve understanding of the determinants of health and translate population health research findings into policy and practice. 

Learn more about our Health Equity Division members:

James Blessman, MD, MPH

Julie Gleason-Comstock, PhD, MCHES

Samson Jamesdaniel, MD, PhD