Hear from our outstanding Health Equity Challenge finalists!

Students reflect on their experiences with the Health Equity Challenge and the exciting projects they are working on.

  • Published On: May 10, 2023

    As a PhD candidate in social work, I have always been passionate about creating programs that address the needs of marginalized communities, especially for health equity and promotion for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and other sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities. As an interdisciplinary researcher, my research seeks

  • Published On: May 4, 2023

    Imagine entering a yoga class. Can you picture what this might look and feel like? Maybe you’re an experienced yogi or maybe you’ve never taken a yoga class before. Either way, take a moment to visualize what you might see as you enter this yoga class. Whatever you pictured, allow that

  • Published On: May 2, 2023

    How can I inspire change for vulnerable communities through a workforce I’ve never been a part of? This was the question I asked myself nearly three years ago when I first entered the public health space and learned about Community Health Workers (CHWs). The COVID-19 pandemic had just begun toward the

  • Published On: May 2, 2023

    As a pediatrician, I specialize in caring for premature babies born facing impossible odds — babies that can weigh less than a ripe cantaloupe at birth, and require meticulous and deliberate care by teams of specialists to help them overcome difficulties with everything from breathing to moving. Even with all of

  • Published On: January 3, 2023

    As a dual-degree MD and Master of Public Policy student, I was excited for this opportunity to combine both my fields through the Health Equity Challenge. I aspire to become an obstetrician/gynecologist and to work with vulnerable patient populations, which prompted me to center my proposal around disparities in perinatal depression.

  • Published On: January 3, 2023

    I’m Angelica! I’m one of the winners of the 2022 Health Equity Challenge for my project titled “Step Up, Stand Down: Developing a Mental Health De-Escalation Toolkit for Providers” in partnership with the Charles R. Drew University. I am in my fourth and final year of medical school with the Charles

  • Published On: December 20, 2022

    Failure to inform or consent for procedures. Being mocked by a provider during labor. Unwanted sterilization. These were just some of the negative maternal health care experiences described by immigrant women in a study I worked with as a student. Particularly for Latina women, these experiences are too common: a California