Interview with Public Health Professor

I have approval and it's something I actually cannot wait to write about — health disparities. As part of the College of Public Health Magazine, I get to write about how the college is fighting the good fight.

In the effort to understand the scope of the problem, I had a preliminary interview with Dr. Jessica Muilenburg Friday afternoon. Below are snippets in Q & A form.

Can you tell me a little about disparities first?

The problems are much bigger than us. We have to have societal awareness about these things. It's bigger than one individual.

With the academic world held inside a safe bubble, in what ways do you think the college is reaching out and making the connection with people of health disparities?

We have an advantage that we're really at a point in the field when we recognize the need to work together. (Working with community leaders, school administrators, etc). Change at the individual level cannot happen if we don't have change at a community, institutional or national setting. But we are in the frontline and that's why we matter.

What are some solutions you see to help minimize health disparities?

There are hundreds of years of culture that we have to start recognizing and being aware of culture. But there has to be social recognition of the problem. And we have to educate health professionals on what disparities are. Educate even if people are not in disparities. But it's so hard to walk in other people's shoes.