MATCH Programs
What is Health Equity?
“Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be healthy. This requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, safe environments, and health care.”
— Braveman P, Arkin E, Orleans T, Proctor D, and Plough A. What Is Health Equity? And What Difference Does a Definition Make? Princeton, NJ: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017.
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Health Equity Training Modules
MATCH partnered with the Wisconsin Center for Public Health Education Training (WiCPHET) to develop three health equity 101 training modules. These modules are geared toward people already working in public health, as well as students seeking a master of public health degree.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing these modules, you will be able to:
- Use a broad definition of health that includes social determinants
- Reflect on how conditions of power shape social determinants and health inequities
- Identify opportunities to operationalize strategies to advance health equity in your own work or practice.
Health Equity Module 1 | Introduction (approx. 10 mins) Transcript
The first module begins with an introduction to health equity. It discusses how health is more than just sickness or its absence, and that health inequities are more than just differences in health outcomes.
Health Equity Module 2 | Health & Power (approx. 10 mins) Transcript
The second module explores the relationship between health and power, considering what it means to suggest that “the root cause of health inequity is powerlessness.”
Health Equity Module 3 | Operationalize Health Equity (approx. 20 mins) Transcript
The third module discusses ideas for operationalizing health equity in practice, and specifically looks at opportunities to expand the definition of health, strategically use data, assess and influence the policy context, and strengthen community capacity to act on health inequities.
Additional Resources
Visit WiCPHET’s Health Equity Series page for additional tools and resources.
Health Equity Training and Capacity Building
Through Health Equity Capacity Building, MATCH is increasing the capacity of public health professionals, community development specialists, community organizers, academics, funders, community health advocates, and many others to engage in health equity practice. For more information on opportunities for training or technical assistance, please contact Lesley Wolf.
Examples of Presentations
- Health Equity 101, Public Health 101, Organizing 101, Power Building and Health Equity
Examples of trainings and technical assistance
- Root cause analysis, Community engagement and health equity, Power mapping, Health equity narrative and framing, Organizing for public health, PSE change, Health equity policy analysis, Strategic campaigns.
