As we begin a new academic year, I am often asked by new students and parents to share what I most like about my role as an advising dean in the School of Nursing and Health Studies.
Though there are many aspects of this role that I enjoy, what I value most is the opportunity to be part of a school that works to prepare the next generation of health care professionals. Serving as an advising dean allows me to not only work with the Global Health students I advise, but also to work across our four departments to turn the NHS mission and vision into action — to advance the health and well-being of individuals and communities while advocating for health equity and social justice in local, national and global communities through education, scholarship and social action. In addition to these NHS values that influence my role as a dean, I am also guided by Georgetown’s commitment to diversity, respect for all persons and contemplation in action as we seek to work for the common good.
A commitment to these values fuels my passion for the work I do to help others – including students – understand the value of working to achieve health equity in our community, in particular the efforts to ensure that all people have full, equal access to opportunities that enable them to lead healthy lives.
To achieve health equity, we must afford all members of our community equal access to health care and strive to eliminate avoidable health inequities and disparities, two distinct but important and interrelated concepts. Health inequities are differences in health that result from social, economic and environmental conditions; health disparities, conversely, are preventable differences in health outcomes between different groups of people that often lead to patterns of disease that burden those populations.
It is equally rewarding to work alongside students to deepen their learning by connecting their classroom experiences to these concepts through practice in the broader world. For me, this happens most while working with students to put these concepts into practice with a specific emphasis on underrepresented and vulnerable populations that are disproportionately affected by health inequity. By not only teaching students about the issues of health inequity but also allowing them to witness and address these problems firsthand, we enable them to recognize the significance of their efforts in health education and expand their knowledge of the subjects at hand.
Experiences like these can be transformative for students on multiple levels.
Just last summer, NHS students, faculty and community partners collaboratively created a report entitled “The Health of the African-American Community in the District of Columbia: Disparities and Recommendations,” which identified a number of health inequities between black and white communities in Washington, D.C.
For example, the report concluded that black men in the District tend to live 15 years fewer than their white counterparts, among many other things. After completing the report, the students involved advocated for health equity by engaging local government officials to drive change in addressing these health disparities and inequities. The publication of the report not only served as a valuable educational tool, but also had tangible benefits for our local community.
Another example that comes to mind is designing and co-teaching “Health Equity Think Tank: Exploring Realities and Solutions,” a new health studies course that is open to all students at Georgetown. The course is intended to provide students with the opportunity to focus on the root causes of health issues, while raising their awareness about progress across health, education, justice, housing, transportation and employment sectors to address social determinants of health.
It is these types of experiential learning opportunities that further help our students gain awareness of the importance of achieving health equity, domestic or global, as all human beings deserve.
It is rewarding and inspiring to be part of a school that values the importance of advancing health equity while also emphasizing the importance of addressing health disparities and inequities. By teaching our students about healthy inequity through firsthand experience, the NHS allows them to bring the values of our school and of our entire Jesuit university – including our commitment to health and social justice and a respect for all people – to life through their education. It is these values in action that make the NHS a special place to work. I look forward to sharing these values and their importance with all new students joining our community this fall.
Brian Floyd is the assistant dean of academic affairs in the School of Nursing and Health Studies. From the Dean’s Desk appears every other Thursday.