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Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH
Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor
Boston University, School of Public Health

Data and Value-Informed Decision Making for Health Equity

Decision-making rests on two very different inputs: data that can suggest the consequences of particular actions, and values that suggest which action may be preferable.  It is the role of the population health scientist to advance data and value-based arguments that can inform decision making, and it is the role of the decision maker to prioritize action accordingly. A clear perspective on the centrality of health equity as a value, and of the trade-offs inherent in such decision-making can be a key guide to effective decision-making in challenging times. This presentation will discuss how data, values, and decision-making intersect towards the end of creating a world without health gaps.

About Sandro Galea

Sandro Galea, a physician, epidemiologist, and author, is dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health. He previously held academic and leadership positions at Columbia University, the University of Michigan, and the New York Academy of Medicine. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed literature, and is a regular contributor to a range of public media, about the social causes of health, mental health, and the consequences of trauma. He has been listed as one of the most widely cited scholars in the social sciences.

Dr. Galea currently serves as chair of the Boston Board of Health, is past chair of the board of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, and past president of the Society for Epidemiologic Research and of the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science. In addition, he is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Galea holds a medical degree from the University of Toronto, graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow. Click here for more details. 

The second half of the Workshop features a panel and a hands-on learning session. The panel includes two academics, a senior-level practitioner, and a graduate student. The panel will discuss the role of data, evidence-based decision-making contexts, challenges and implications of value-driven decision-making generally, and the implications for health equity specifically. The interactive session will allow the audience to co-create what students need to be competent in this area, where this curriculum content and competencies should be taught, and what teaching and assessment methods best align with the topics. Overall, attendees should leave with a better understanding of the need and importance of data for decision-making in health administration, an appreciation of the intended and unintended impact of data use and evidence-based decision-making on health administration, and be able to articulate strategies that can strengthen evidence-based decision-making, including prioritizing health equity.