Honors Collegium 105
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare
Enrollment: Open to College Honors/College Scholars
Requirements fulfilled: This class satisfies the Diversity requirement for the following schools:
- School of the Arts and Architecture
- College of Letters and Science
- School of Music
- Public Affairs
Course Description: Seminar, three hours. Examination of ways in which race and ethnicity impact delivery of healthcare in U.S. and discussion of policies and proposals to address disparities in healthcare and diversity in healthcare professionals. P/NP or letter grading.
Professor Charles Alexander
I was born in Syracuse, NY and raised in a military family (Air Force). I didn’t complete one year of primary school at the same school until I was in the 4th grade due to our family moving around. I finished high school in Syracuse, then went on to the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland and majored in Sociology. I completed both my Master’s (University of Nebraska) and PhD (Marquette University) in Sociology. My research interest is in diversity in the health care workforce and educational pipeline programs. This is my 24th year in the UC system. I spent 10 years at UCSF as an Associate Dean in the School of Dentistry before coming to UCLA in 2006. I enjoy jazz music and playing golf to relax.
Q & A
What is your home department at UCLA? UCLA School of Dentistry, Division of Public Health and Community Dentistry
How long have you been teaching your HC seminar? Around 10 years.
What is your favorite part about teaching this HC seminar? My favorite part is getting to work with students who have an interest in the subject and learning from their experiences as well.
What do you find to be the most compelling about the subject matter of this seminar? It’s a topic that affects everyone and continues to be a part of our everyday discussion.
It’s also interesting how disparities disproportionality impact community of color and disadvantaged populations.
What are the learning objectives for this course? The learning objectives for the course are 1) to inform students who are seeking to become health care professionals to understand the importance of how race and ethnicity impacts the delivery of health care, and 2) to help students understand how the need to increase the diversity of the health professions workforce contributes to addressing health disparities.