From Dams to Tides: Eliminating Health Disparities through Interprofessional Education

Abstract

Background: This article introduces an innovative model for interprofessional learning to reduce health disparities. The Interprofessional Reducing Health Disparities Series aimed to have health science students critically reflect on implicit bias, social determinants of health, and the root causes of health disparities in order to affect change at the individual, team, and population level. Methods: Teams of interprofessional health science students built trust and rapport with each other during three sessions in the academic year by participating in interactive learning scenarios about the causation of health disparities. The culminating experience was a mock city council meeting where teams submitted their proposals to gain limited funds for health initiatives. Results: The interprofessional teams utilized their disciplinespecific expertise collectively to problem solve systemic health issues affecting communities of color in local neighborhoods. Discussion: In this paper, we offer the Interprofessional Health Disparities Series as a template, and we share our insight which we gained from piloting this educational endeavor.