At Indiana University School of Medicine, the Urban Medicine and Health Care Disparities scholarly concentration is part of the Urban Medicine Program and provides medical students with a comprehensive understanding of the historical and contemporary barriers facing medically underserved populations in urban environments. This concentration prepares future physicians to address complex urban health challenges, analyze health care disparities, and evaluate policy and innovative community solutions.
Fast facts about the concentration
Location: IU School of Medicine—Northwest-Gary
Co-directors: Amy Han, PhD, and Baraka Muvuka, PhD, MPH, MCHES
Meet the co-directors
The Urban Medicine and Health Care Disparities scholarly concentration is co-directed by Amy W. Han, PhD, and Baraka Muvuka, PhD, MPH, MCHES.
Han serves as the director of clinical education at IU School of Medicine—Northwest-Gary. With over 20 years in the medical community, a background in community mental health and a seat on the board of one of Northwest Indiana’s largest Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), she connects students with robust regional resources. "I am most excited about the many different projects and community partnerships our student doctors will engage in, and witnessing the end result of a fulfilling journey for each student," said Han.
Muvuka is an assistant professor and director of research at IU School of Medicine—Northwest-Gary. As a public health scientist, she brings over a decade of community-engaged research experience investigating socio-structural determinants of health and health equity. "I am excited to mentor students in examining health inequities through community-engaged research, while guiding them to co-translate evidence into meaningful action alongside diverse research partners," said Muvuka.
What students can expect
Based at the close-knit IU School of Medicine—Northwest-Gary campus, students benefit from an approachable faculty and a rich array of regional health partnerships, including nine full-service hospitals, five FQHCs and three community mental health agencies. The concentration invests in training students as urban health leaders through:
- Community engagement: Hands-on opportunities for community service across Northwest Indiana organizations.
- Interdisciplinary learning: Broadening perspectives beyond biological and behavioral factors to encompass critical socio-structural influences on health and quality of life.
- Research translation: Investigating the root causes of urban health issues while evaluating policy and community interventions.
Is this the right fit?
Regardless of a student’s ultimate clinical specialty, an understanding of urban health challenges and underserved care offers invaluable perspective. Residency programs strongly value candidates with this specialized background and community-based insight. Since this concentration is part of the Urban Medicine Program, through the admissions process, students spend all four years at the IU School of Medicine—Northwest-Gary campus gaining robust experiences in urban medicine and health care disparities.
Examples of student research
Students in the Urban Medicine concentration engage in impactful research initiatives that directly inform community care and health system policy. Some examples include:
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Social Determinants of Health: In partnership with Powers Health—the first health system in Indiana to pilot comprehensive inpatient SDOH screenings—students analyze how social, behavioral, and clinical factors impact hospital readmissions under the CMS Hospital Readmission Reduction Program.
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Stroke Care Equity: A targeted project at St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago implemented stroke-specific education to enhance outcomes for a predominantly Hispanic, underserved population through Community Health’s Comprehensive Stroke Center.
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Vets Restoring Vets: A Community-Based Participatory Assessment of Operation Combat Bikesaver’s Innovative Veteran-Led Peer Support Program.
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Analysis of Lung Cancer Disparities in Northwest Indiana
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Neurovascular Conditions and Associated Socio-Demographics and Behavioral Factors in an Urban Hospital in Northwest Indiana.
