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Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine Launches Groundbreaking Health Equity Tracker

The Health Equity Tracker aims to give a detailed view of health outcomes
by race, ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, and other critical factors.

The tracker is able to ingest and report a total of 15 variables ranging from population demographics, to COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, comorbidities and chronic health conditions, to social and political determinants of health such as poverty and insurance rates. “A game changer, while still in its initial phases, the Health Equity Tracker will provide us the opportunity to track the health inequities plaguing this country,” said Daniel Dawes, executive director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine and author of the Political Determinants of Health. “Moreover, the tracker will enable us to find solutions that move beyond merely identifying areas and populations afflicted by these boundless health inequities. We are excited to work with key policymakers and partners to drive these solutions to create equitable policies that will alleviate the burden of the deeply rooted political determinants of health for all.”

Engineered as a true platform, the HET has an unparalleled ability to identify missing data gaps across the country, resulting in a novel, comparative approach to highlighting health inequities. The result is a culmination of thousands of hours of engineering, research, design, and data analytics to produce a solution that is highly agile and able to quickly adapt to new and emerging data. The intent is to equip policy makers, community leaders, and ultimately anyone interested in health equity with timely and accurate data they need to assist in health equity-focused decision making at the national, state, and county level.

Adopting a multi-phased approach, the HET will expand in the future to include additional conditions such as mental and behavioral health, as well as more social and political determinants of health that impact vulnerable communities, including persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, life expectancy, and more.

About Satcher Health Leadership Institute

The Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) aims to be the leading transformational force for health equity in policy, leadership development and research. Rooted in the legacy of its founder, the 16th U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, SHLI’s mission is to create systemic change at the intersection of policy and equity by focusing on three priority areas: the political determinants of health, health system transformation, and mental and behavioral health. In conjunction with key strategic partners, SHLI enhances leadership among diverse learners, conducts forward-thinking research on the drivers of health inequities and advances evidence-based policies, all in an effort to contribute to the achievement of health equity for all population groups.
Learn more at https://satcherinstitute.org; https://healthequitytracker.org.

About Morehouse School of Medicine

Founded in 1975, Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is among the nation’s leading educators of primary care physicians, biomedical scientists, and public health professionals. An independent and private historically-Black medical school, MSM was recognized by the Annals of Internal Medicine as the nation’s number one medical school in fulfilling a social mission—the creation and advancement of health equity. MSM faculty and alumni are noted for excellence in teaching, research, and public policy, as well as exceptional patient care. MSM is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award doctoral and master’s degrees. To learn more about programs and donate today, please visit www.msm.edu or call 404-752-1500.