Director’s Message

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the Graduate Program in Health.  This program examines health policy and equity with particular emphasis on how societal economic, political, and social structures and processes influence health. Particular attention is given to how public policy shapes the a) social inequalities that cause disease and b) the organization and delivery of care. We offer our graduate students opportunities to closely interact with faculty and peers through coursework, research, including field work, and other practical experiences through community partnerships. We also emphasize and support students making presentations at academic conferences and having their work published in peer-reviewed journals. Students can also engage with active communities of students though participation in the events of the York University Organized Research Units, including YU-CARE, Centre for Refugee Studies, among others. Our program prepares our students for careers in universities, governments, and agencies and institutions concerned with promoting health and improving health care through public policy action.

We offer an environment that encourages critical inquiry and debate that aims to expose, critique, and address the societal forces that shape health.  The program is social science-oriented and draws upon various disciplines including educational theory, health studies, political economy, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology, among others.  I encourage you to become familiar with the work of our faculty members as their contributions illuminate our unique approach to investigating and addressing the key health issues of our time. The website will, hopefully, provide you with much of the information you need at this point, including resources and services available to our prospective and current students in Health, as well as more specific material pertaining to the program.

Dr. Farah Ahmad
Graduate Program Director

_{A photo of Professor Farah Ahmad}