The summer workshop began in 2003 to provide an opportunity for HDEART member institutions, especially those in professional schools, to take the disparities course are a 6 day period.  The number of contact hours also provided an opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate students to take the workshop for 3 units of academic credit.  Since its inception, both the workshop and the fall course, have become anchor courses for health disparity programs at various HDEART member institutions.  Both the course and workshop objectives are the same.

1. Acquire introductory knowledge and experience related to the complex social, behavioral and medical determinants of populations’ health, which will enable them to understand the origins of health disparities within a population and to conceptualize programs and policies to reduce and eliminate those disparities.
2. Examine and gain an understanding of the latest findings of specific research that demonstrate that there are wide disparities in health among certain populations.
3. Demonstrate awareness of factors that currently contribute to wide disparities in health among certain populations.
4. Identify the role of (various) health professionals in eliminating disparities.
5. Investigate community and state-level resources that can be mobilized for planning, policy development, program interpretation and funding for reduction of health disparities.
6. Develop a global vision of inequalities in health and medical care.