Disparities in oral health and health care
To register for this course, please complete this form by Friday March 29.
Instructors
- Dr. Hawazin Elani, Assistant Professor, Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health (hawazin_elani@hsdm.harvard.edu, primary course contact)
- Dr. Helena Schuch, Research Fellow - Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
- Dr. Mariane Furtado, Research Fellow - Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Course description: Persistent disparities in oral health present a significant public health challenge, particularly for low-income and racial and ethnic minority populations who continue to face a greater burden of dental disease. This Nanocourse aims to introduce participants to the principles of oral health disparities and the application of quantitative methodological approaches to assess policy efforts to eliminate these disparities. The course will examine the current state of oral health disparities, offer examples of state and federal healthcare policies that address these disparities, and discuss the application of data-driven approaches, such as causal methods and machine learning, to health services research. Participants will be asked to select a healthcare policy or intervention and propose a quantitative method for its evaluation or enhancement.
Learning objectives:
- Understand the scope of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in oral health
- Review current healthcare policies addressing disparities in oral health and discuss their implementation challenges
- Critically evaluate quantitative research studies that assess policies addressing disparities in oral health.
Session 1: Healthcare policies addressing disparities in oral health
April 1st, 9:30 – 11:30 am, on Zoom
In the first session, participants will be introduced to historical and contemporary concepts of oral health disparities and obtain an overview of the US healthcare policies that aim to address these disparities. The session will also explore various innovative healthcare delivery approaches to reduce financial barriers to accessing dental care.
Session Objectives
- Discuss the current state of oral health disparities
- Review healthcare policies addressing disparities in oral health
- Discuss innovations in oral healthcare policy
Session 2: Methodological concepts related to health disparities
April 8th, 9:30 – 11:30 am, on Zoom
The second session will cover concepts for measuring healthcare disparities and using quantitative methodological approaches to evaluate the impact of healthcare policies on the population's oral health.
Session Objectives
- Describe concepts and measurements of health disparities
- Describe causal methods relevant to health policies
- Discuss the potential application of machine learning in health services research
Session 3: Case discussion
April 22nd, 9:30 – 11:30 am, on Zoom
During the last session of the course, participants will be divided into groups. Each group will choose a healthcare policy and suggest a quantitative method to evaluate or enhance it. Participants will present their proposals and engage in a group debate.
Session Objectives
- Propose a quantitative method for evaluating or improving a healthcare policy.
- Outline key steps for the application of the proposed method.
Target audience: Participants interested in gaining a comprehensive overview of policy efforts to address health disparities and the application of causal methods and machine learning to health services research. There are no prerequisites for this course.
Location: All sessions will be held virtually. A Zoom link will be sent to the participants. Materials will be sent before each session.
Milestone credit: To receive milestone credit for this course, you must attend all three sessions, complete the course readings, and complete the proposal activity.
PhD students in some HILS programs are allowed to take nanocourses for course credit. To learn more about credit, please visit this page and talk to your program administrator.
To register for this course, please complete this form by Monday March 25.
Contact hawazin_elani@hsdm.harvard.edu with any questions.