Irfan, MD, EdD, DrPH, ScD, MPH, MRPL is a professor who expresses optimism in the face of challenges to academic freedom and health equity. This semester, he teaches a course called 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. One of the recent assignments in the course involved a ‘Global Health Equity & Cultural Justice Case Study’ where students collaborated to identify challenges faced by marginalized communities and develop 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 which Irfan believes offers 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.
