What Do Schools of Public Health Have to Say About Diversity and Inclusion?

Abstract

Objective. The purpose of this study was to understand how schools of public health (SPHs) define and operationalize diversity and inclusion. Methods. Data were collected in February 2017 from publicly available websites for each of the 59 Council on Education in Public Health–accredited SPHs, including mission/vision, goals/strategic plans, and diversity statements. Mentions of diversity were quantified to generate the proportion of SPHs that explicitly address diversity or inclusion. As a related secondary point, mentions of equity were also considered. Results. One third of SPHs do not mention diversity, inclusion, or equity as central tenets of the school. Twenty percent do not mention strategic plans or goals related to diversity, inclusion, or equity. Only 12 of the 59 schools define what they mean by diversity. Conclusions. Recently released Council on Education in Public Health accreditation competencies point to a need for increased attention by SPHs to inclusion and equity. Currently, however, most SPHs do not have a clear definition of how they define diversity. Implications. Additional research is needed into how SPHs will evolve their conceptualizations of diversity, inclusion, and equity to meet the training needs of the next generation of public health professionals.