Professor Christina Yongue from the University of North Carolina Greensboro presented with coauthor Professor Christina Dixon on online case studies to promote equity at the 2020 Lilly Conference online. I’m very interested in the use of case studies in online courses and how to improve implementation, engagement (of all participants), and assessment. Including discussions about equity in appropriate ways is a goal of mine that has been challenging. Yongue shared life experiences including the passing of her mother from cancer. This kindled Yongue’s interest in health disparities. Yongue is involved in health research and undergraduate education. In response to a call for proposals from the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research, they built a team to create case studies. I really like how Yongue wanted to focus on addressing solutions to health equity and not only raising awareness. Yongue listed the social determinants of health as: economic stability, social & community context, neighborhood & environment, health care, and education. I have not thought about the social factors of health in this way, and I thought that by Yongue focusing on specific social determinants for cases that helped create focused scenarios for very complex topics. Yongue asked: why are there differences? Yongue’s team explored how institutional racism affects health disparities. The case studies were published on February 27, 2018 on the web. The cases have objectives, outline, and videos. The clip Yongue played defined structural racism and health equity: all people getting access to high-quality healthcare. Equality and equity were described with graphics and historical context (specific to North Carolina!) was included. The sample of the first introduction video was excellent, and I can see several uses. The case study has a video about the Greensboro Health Disparities Collaborative. I also didn’t know that The Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, NC was the site of the movement to racially integrate all hospitals in the United States! The case video then describes examples of institutional racism. The video then examines a case in the early 2000s that highlights institutional racism and unequal health outcomes. Several professionals are interviewed. The second video for the case focuses on solutions. Training was provided on health disparities and undoing institutional racism: how can we dismantle the structures that result in unequal outcomes was the main question addressed by the efforts of the Collaborative. Several interviews highlight the approach taken by the Collaborative. Researchers dive into the cancer registry and used available resources and information to investigate disparities. Yongue paused the video and mentioned that this case study ends with the success of the Collaborative in addressing the health disparities of this community. The second case study Yongue presented had the objectives of identifying systemic, social, and community factors that influence health outcomes; to describe how racism is a determinant of health in the social and community context; and describe strategies used to develop solutions to the problems faced. Again, this second case study is centered in Greensboro, NC. Food deserts, racial oppression, and economic oppression were among the issues faced by this community in Greensboro. The videos seem to all have captions and be sequenced a video for the case overview and scenario, discussing the problem, and a second video describing the solution. A concluding video summarizes the series. The classes were evaluated in an undergraduate course at UNCG. Survey questions were included as part of the case assessment and student focus groups. The student quotes provide testimony to how the topics were of interest to students and several lessons were learned. I enjoyed reading the student quotes that reflect how they felt empowered by learning that the community worked together. Yongue delivered the cases using the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) as a page with embedded videos and reading materials with questions. The case series has been shared and used by UNC at Chapel Hill and Winston-Salem State University. I enjoyed this session as it is a great example of place-based and culturally relevant case studies that align with course objectives and motivate students to create solutions!
