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. 2023 Aug 25;11:1192771. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1192771

Table 1.

Applications of critical race theory in public health classroom settings.

Course Core curricular content CRT application and select examples used
PH 201: Introduction to public health Ethical violations in research and practice

  • Oral contraceptive experimentation among Puerto Rican women (47)

  • Kalaupapa and mistreatment of Hansen’s Disease patients in Hawai‘i (48)

  • Tuskegee Syphilis Study (49, 50)
PH 201: Introduction to public health Built environment

  • Inequities in the built environment (51)

  • Discussion of red-lining and both short and long-term consequences among BIPOC communities (28, 52)

  • Discussion of built environment interventions in low-income neighborhoods (53)
PH 202: Public health issues in Hawai‘i Food insecurity

  • Environmental impact of food importation and dependence (54)

  • Sustainability of historical and cultural practices (e.g., ahupua‘a system) (55)

  • History of farming and community connections (56)
PH 202: Public health issues in Hawai‘i History of public health in Hawai‘i

  • Hawaiian monarchy’s role in developing health department prior to US occupation (57)

  • Hawaiian monarchy investment and development of preeminent Queen’s Medical Center (57)
PH 202: Public health issues in Hawai‘i Plantation history

  • Unionization of plantation workers (i.e., primarily immigrant communities) (58)

  • Health disparities in plantation communities (59)
PH 202: Public health issues in Hawai‘i Epidemiology in Hawai‘i

  • Disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 infection and mortality on Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (60)
PH 203: Introduction to global health Global health history, geography, and colonization

  • Use of geographical maps depicting Indigenous communities pre-colonization (61)

  • Student viewing and reflection of “High on the Hog” documentary (62)
PH 203: Introduction to global health Vaccination distribution and vaccine hesitancy

  • Genocide in present-day Namibia, early 1900s by German officials (63)

  • Drug companies conducted research trials without consent, e.g., Pfizer in Nigeria (64)

  • HIV treatment research in southern Africa (65–69)
PH 203: Introduction to global health Women and girls’ education

  • Cultural barriers to education for women (70, 71)

  • Barriers to education associated with limited access to feminine hygiene products, sanitation, and bathrooms (72–74)
PH 203: Introduction to global health Maternal health

  • Systemic barriers to accessing healthcare among women (75)

  • Lack of prenatal care and limited access to skilled birth attendants among people of color (76)

  • Cultural and religious barriers to contraception (77)

  • Impacts of obstetric fistula in Namibia (Africa) (78)

  • Labor and delivery challenges in Manila (Philippines) (79), both highlighting firsthand, lived experience accounts
PH 203: Introduction to global health Conflict and refugees

  • Bias and racism in media coverage of war and conflict (e.g., Ukrainian refugee coverage compared to Tigray and Yemen humanitarian crises) (80–82)