Social Justice

Why Social Justice in the Health Sciences?

Social justice presupposes that everyone deserves equal rights and opportunity – including good health. A focus on social justice allows an expansion of the cadre of individuals teaching, researching and providing care with a lens on equity and the social determinants of health.​

Noble A-W Maseru, Ph.D., M.P.H. ​

Dr. Maseru accepted the appointment of Director, Social Justice, Racial Equity and Faculty Engagement in Health Sciences in August 2020 after serving as Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion and Director, Center for Health Equity at Pitt Public Health since August 2017. Dr. Maseru retired after ten years public service in Cincinnati as the city’s Health Commissioner, May 2016. Dr. Maseru has a career that spans 40 years in the areas of human services, academia and public health.

The addition of Dr. Maseru's expertise to the HSDEI team, coupled with the syndemic occurrence of COVID-19 and the reckoning with racism driven by George Floyd's murder provided the perfect opportunity to craft social justice immersion experiences in the Health Sciences.

Noble A-W Maseru, Ph.D., M.P.H. ​
Director, Social Justice, Racial Equity and Faculty Engagement​​,
Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
View Dr. Maseru's Full Profile »

Social Justice Initiatives and Experiences

Social Justice Faculty Fellowship​

The Office of Health Sciences, Diversity and Inclusion established a Social Justice Faculty Fellowship program to raise awareness among faculty about health inequities in the local community. The program, spotlighting campus-community partnerships, was developed to accomplish social justice, condemn systemic racism and generate sustainable change. 

2021-2022 Social Justice Fellowship Awardees

Meet the inagural 2022 Fellows hailing from Pitt’s health science schools and their community partners. Fellows and partners engage in projects that address systemic inequity through experiential learning opportunities related to health social justice issues.

Social Justice Elective

The University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Children’s Hospital Department of Pediatrics and the Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion present CHP VUE, the Virtual Underrepresented in Medicine Elective. 

American Apartheid Series

The American Apartheid series looks at issues of racial inequities and injustice through several panel discussions.

Social Justice Seminar Series

The Social Justice Fellowship Seminar Series brings together experts from the campus and community to explore the relationship between health and justice. The monthly Series explores structures, systems, policies, and day to day practices to unearth spaces undermining health outcomes and community quality of life. 

Social Justice Education Summit

The University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Social Justice Education Summit seeks to serve as a space to introduce, build & engage students, trainees, staff and faculty to inclusive community-campus partnership.