Dr. Ans Irfan, MD, EdD, DrPH, ScD, MPH, MRPL, is optimistic about the challenges facing academic freedom and health equity. This semester, he teaches PM525 Culture and Health: Global Perspectives, where students are working on applied projects focused on cultural-justice leadership to address global health inequities. In a time where public health progress is being undone and leadership is retracting, Irfan emphasizes the importance of supporting emerging public health leaders and their ideas.
In one of the recent assignments in the course, students collaborated on a ‘Global Health Equity & Cultural Justice Case Study’, where they identified challenges faced by marginalized communities and developed solutions through a cultural-justice lens. Projects aimed to address systems of oppression such as racism, patriarchy, and militarism in communities in the United States and abroad. Teams were recognized as Culture & Health Equity Scholars for their innovative work. Irfan believes that these projects offer hope in the face of national trends against equity and justice.
The projects undertaken by students also reflect the commitment of the department to excellence in teaching and align with USC’s mission of providing students with knowledge, wisdom, and moral discernment. Irfan expresses pride in his students and invites others to explore the highlights of their projects to see the impact of their work.
