Art by Diana Vera, UIC '20,

BS in Computer Software Engineering

Issue Two Launch | Spring 2025

Dear Readers,

It is our great pleasure to announce the the launch of the second issue of the Journal for Health Equity. In the journal you can read a curated collection of student-authored research writing, creative writing, and visual art exploring health equity issues affecting our communities.

Our journal's goal is to advance health justice through writing and art that showcases new voices and bridges humanities and scientific disciplines. The aim is to shine light on how systemic unequal investment in neighborhood health resources, legacies of exclusion and bias in the health care professions, and chronic stressors such as racism, sexism, and ableism perpetuate health disparities among marginalized groups. By illuminating these injustices, we aim also to imagine ways forward.

This issue's contributors, ranging from first-years to graduate students, from humanities and STEM disciplines, range in familiarity with the genres they're working in. Some are writing short stories; some are writing medical journalism, memoir, or lyric essays; some are designing medical posters for public health literacy; some are conducting scholarly research. But what their work shares is a palpable investment in their chosen topics, rigorous attention to language, and curiosity about what a more just and compassionate society could be. We're proud of the work they've produced and honored to be able to share it with a wider audience.

We hope you enjoy.

Sincerely,

JHE Editorial team

Kim O'Neil (Senior Lecturer in English, Asst. Director of the Writing Center)

Bridget English (Senior Lecturer in English)

UIC Resources for Health Equity

Epidemics of Injustice

This annual course, with lectures free and open to the public each spring, prepares public health leaders and community members with the tools to bring about social change and address structural determinants of health.

To quote the course site:

This year’s theme is “Health Equity Praxis: Building Possible Worlds Together” and was decided on by members of RPH. This past summer, many of us read the book Let This Radicalize You by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba for a book club. The theme and many of the topics were inspired by what we learned through this book and our conversations about it.

In a time with despair, suffering, and injustice, we are asking: “what is the possible world we want to see built?”

Epidemics of Injustice is led by the Radical Public Health.

Radical Public Health (RPH), is composed of students, alumni, faculty, staff, practitioners, and community members who seek to address the systemic, underlying causes of public health challenges and to consider more radical solutions. RPH hosts group discussions, guest lectures, film screenings, panel discussions, and teach-ins on relevant issues. This course is supported by the Community Health Sciences (CHS) division at the UIC School of Public Health.

Collaboratory for Health Justice

The Collaboratory for Health Justice produces resources to support students, faculty, and staff in community engagement. Our resources cover topics such as advocacy, virtual engagement, and anti-racist praxis, and come in a broad range of formats such as guides, op-eds, webinars, and more.

To subscribe to our monthly newsletters and receive our newest resources, click here.

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