Racism in Public Health: Structural inequalities from the founding of public health practice to today

Racism in Public Health will explore the social inequities based on the perception of race which have resulted in health inequities and disparities which are coming to the forefront of media attention with the COVID-19 pandemic. The workshop will begin with a deep dive into the definition of public health, identifying key terms and highlighting its similarities and differences from the fields of medicine and biology. We will explore racial inequities within the U.S. healthcare system throughout history to the present day COVID-19 pandemic and identify how racism is a public health crisis.

Sage Templeton is a senior at UC Berkeley studying Public Health and Molecular and Cell Biology: Biochemistry. She has been working with the YWCA Berkeley/Oakland for three years and is interested in studying how social inequities translate to disparities in health care utilization and access. Her interests also include understanding the structural institutions resulting in disparate access to clean air, water, land, and environments which can lead to long term negative health impacts.