Imagine a world that gives every single person an opportunity to live the healthiest life possible.
This is the ultimate goal of health equity, which addresses barriers to good health, like limited access to nutritious food, a good education, or an affordable home.
NYU Langone Health recently launched the Institute for Excellence in Health Equity to help advance health equity in communities and make sure that patient care, medical research, and medical professionals reflect underrepresented populations. The institute will mentor clinicians and medical trainees of color, contribute to national policy on health equity, educate medical students on this topic, and conduct research into health issues that affect minority populations more than white populations.
The Institute for Excellence in Health Equity will be led by Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH. Dr. Ogedegbe is the Dr. Adolph and Margaret Berger Professor of Medicine and Population Health, director of the Center for Healthful Behavior Change, and director of the Division of Health & Behavior in the Department of Population Health. He is an internationally renowned physician-scientist and expert in health equity research with a focus on implementing evidence-based interventions targeted at cardiovascular risk reduction in minority populations.
Four pillars to maximize impact
The Institute for Excellence in Health Equity will be organized by four pillars—research, education, clinical care, and community—and will leverage existing academic talent in developing programs designed to accelerate the careers of the next generation of trainees and faculty. The research pillar will impact national policy on health equity by focusing on innovative, multi-centered, and cutting-edge peer-reviewed grants. The education pillar will advance undergraduate and graduate medical training by ensuring that students appreciate and integrate issues related to health equity.
The institute will also serve to mentor trainees and faculty regarding professional milestones, thus encouraging and facilitating successful academic careers. The clinical care pillar will adapt NYU Langone Health delivery systems to achieve excellence in health equity outcomes, and the community pillar will advance health equity with a goal of fashioning scalable solutions to the health disparities in the community and across the nation.