Health Disparity and Health Professional Education: A New Approach

In this paper, a new theoretical framework for curricula is proposed as a means of advancing the potential for health professional graduates to contribute optimally in the contemporary world of complex health care. A new theoretical approach to curriculum is needed to provide for a comprehensive and integrated view of the diversity in people and populations. These subject areas require rigor and strength equivalent to the strong and well-established foundations of the biosciences and clinical practice. A rigorous and coherent approach would replace what is often an ad hoc response to diverse and marginalized people and populations in existing curricula. The current approach has not had sufficient impact on health disparities. This paper presents the case for adopting an ‘intersectional’ framework for health professional curricula to move the voices and experiences of marginalized groups from the periphery to the center of the curriculum conversations. The pillars of that framework are described and illustrated with examples, and the implications and expected benefits of adopting such a framework are discussed. To illustrate the limitations of the current approach to curriculum development and the need for and likely benefits of the proposed framework, the paper draws on the situation of Australian Indigenous peoples. © 2016, International Association of Medical Science Educators.