The College of Public Health Social Determinants of Health Certificate program provides students with skill sets in public health on topics of racial and social justice, health equity, health disparities, and interdisciplinary approaches to solving public health problems.

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are “born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age” that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes. The SDOH are grouped into five domains: economic stability, education access and quality, healthcare access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context (Healthy People 2030). The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) framework is now one of the foundational components of an education in public health. The purpose of this graduate certificate program in SDOH is to prepare students to address the public health challenges where disparity and inequity in the five domains listed above are an important component.

Upon completing this certificate, students will have the skills to work independently or on teams to solve problems from a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) perspective, identify and quantify health disparities in communities using population health data across various demographic and socioeconomic areas of life, plan health interventions and public health approaches to improving wellbeing using a SDOH lens, and assess community needs in the areas of equity and inclusion across domains such as housing, transportation, health, and education.

Heather McEachern cphadm@uga.edu