Health equity is the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible and where differences in health are not the by-product of a distribution based on power. Health equity gives clear recognition to the fact that equal allocation may not be equitable allocation given structural determinants and historic experiences. At its root health inequity is grounded in economic injustice.

To achieve equity: Transformation of systems is necessary. Action is required. Leadership is called for. With this Center, Morgan State University establishes itself as a leading voice in this space working toward the vision of thriving health communities for all.

The Center’s health platform is that health is not merely the absence of disease and is more than biology. Understanding what contributes to health is a necessary first step to reaching health goals. The contributing contexts are captured by the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH)

The Social Determinants of Health are those conditions in which people live, work, learn, and play that influence health outcomes. These spheres of influence include economic opportunity and access to wealth, neighborhoods and the built environment, education, health care systems and access, and the social/community context. Because of the multi-sector quality of SDoH, the work of the CUHE will require the involvement of many within Morgan and beyond whose research and approaches intersect with the SDoH to promote and advance health equity in all of the spaces described, not just medical settings.