Education and Training

The Center offers several educational opportunities to advance understanding of health equity challenges and how to incorporate these into your work and life. Our services and materials are designed for researchers, trainees, health professionals, medical practitioners, students, community members. These opportunities include a unique mentoring program for trainees, educational events, degree courses and learning materials.

Our Approach to Education and Training

Trainee Program

We develop and implement didactic training and oversee the implementation of didactic training and mentorship in health disparities and health equity research methods for pre-doctoral, post-doctoral, junior faculty, and senior faculty scholars in Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing within Johns Hopkins University and other academic institutions.

Our training curriculum combines original elements with proven training tools. The Core uses a transdisciplinary approach that integrates theories, concepts, and methods used by our Center's research investigators. Along with coursework taken for degree programs, trainees attend research seminars and participate in study team meetings, community advisory board meetings, and service learning experiences.

Special Events and Learning Materials

• Special Events and Health Equity Jam Sessions offer opportunities for colleagues and community members to engage with one other
• Our degree courses provide a comprehensive introduction to innovative methods to conduct research and translate evidence-based strategies into practice and policy
• Our additional learning materials include MOOCs, supplemental educational tools such as factsheets, videos, photography, and presentations.

History of the Program

Dr. Tanjala Purnell, who was a pre-doctoral trainee in the Center from 2010-2012, has been the Center’s Associate Director for Education and Training since 2016.

To learn more about the development of this unique education and training program in the following publications:

• Golden SH, Purnell TS, Matens R, Miller E, Nguyen T, Gudzune KA, Crews D, Mahlangu-Ngcobo M, Levine D, Cooper LA. A Community-Engaged Cardiovascular Health Disparities Research Training Curriculum: Implementation and Preliminary Outcomes. Acad Med. 2014 Oct; 89(10): 1348-56.
• Golden SH, Ferketich A, Boyington J, Dugan S, Garroutte E, Kaufmann P, Krok J, Kuo A, Ortega A, Purnell TS, Srinivasan S. Transdisciplinary Cardiovascular and Cancer Health Disparities Training: Experiences of the Centers for Population Health and Health Disparities. Am J Public Health. 2015 Jul; 105 Suppl 3:S395-402