Center for Research on Race, Health Justice, and Public Policy

Our central focus is examining and eliminating health and social inequities based on gaps in research and policy formation concerning the social determinants of health and broad socioeconomic factors central to health justice. The Center conducts and disseminates interdisciplinary research for peer-reviewed publications, serves as a health equity research clearinghouse, pursues external grant funding opportunities, examines structural inequality about health justice, provides scholarly and public educational opportunities, and engages in public policy recommendations. Important to our mission is linking our efforts to community-based interventions and practices in Utah and beyond.

The Center is an incubator for creating world-class trainees and faculty leaders and an intellectual home for developing cutting-edge solutions for significant social & health disparities and public policy formation. As an interdisciplinary effort with a One-U approach, the Center is organized into three pillars to achieve its mission:

Educational Disparities

We participate in studies to identify and eliminate racialized educational inequalities within Utah and the intermountain region. This includes examining factors contributing to less-than-optimal outcomes and success for children and youths from disadvantaged communities in Pre-K through 12, postsecondary, and graduate education.

Health Justice

Health equity and health disparities are paramount to health justice. According to a 2011 American Journal of Public Health article, “Disparities in health and its determinants are the metric for assessing health equity, the principle underlying a commitment to reducing disparities in health and its determinants; health equity is social justice in health.” We collaborate with existing health equity centers and health and community-based organizations to achieve health justice measures.

Justice and Public Policy

The Center engages in innovative research to understand and develop cutting-edge solutions to address inequities within the justice systems in Utah and the Intermountain region. Additionally and collaboratively, our production of public policy discussions and briefs are formed based on research and activities within the three identified pillars. Our array of qualitative, quantitative, and interpretive/historical reports and policy briefs examines and aims to remedy racialized and health disparities in areas such as educational outcomes, substance abuse, suicide ideation, civic engagement, human dignity belonging, environmental racism, and suggested public and private interventions. All policy briefs and opinions posted on the website or statements at any sponsored event that the Center may host are the opinions of that group or individual and not the expressed opinion of the Center for Research on Race, Health Justice & Public Policy or the University of Utah.