Higher education institutions across the U.S. prepare undergraduate public health students to achieve public health goals.

The curriculum includes core courses such as epidemiology, environmental health, health behavior, and community health assessment. Fieldwork and internship experiences immerse students in local communities, teaching them to address health concerns like diabetes, heart disease, and HIV infection.  

Students learn to advocate for improved access, care, and resources so people can live healthier lives. Additionally, professional conferences and organizations expose students to seasoned public health leaders, research developments, and the latest advances in the field. 

Health equity is central to the public health curriculum and essential to achieving public health goals. According to the World Health Organization, health equity is achieved when everyone can attain their full potential for health and well-being. It is determined by the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, play, and age. These conditions are heavily influenced — positively or negatively — by discrimination, stereotyping, and prejudice based on sex, gender, age, race, religion, ethnicity, or disability, among other factors. Such factors are embedded in institutional and systemic processes. Consequently, underrepresented groups often face barriers to decision-making at all levels, quality healthcare, preventive measures, and resources to achieve their full potential. 

With funding from Interfaith America through the Religion and Health Curriculum Grant Initiative, three professors from a medium-sized Historically Black University (HBCU) in the Southeastern United States integrated a religious literacy module into “Advancing Health Equity,” an undergraduate public health course. 

Advancing Health Equity  

“Advancing Health Equity” is a required course that introduces students to key terms and concepts related to health equity. Topics include health disparities based on race and gender, barriers to care such as geography, language, and income, and strategies for overcoming disparities by addressing negative factors that influence health outcomes. 

Students explored implicit bias and learned how it shapes unconscious attitudes and beliefs, including those related to religion. To deepen their understanding, they completed the Implicit Association Test (IAT) on Religion, developed by Harvard’s Project Implicit. The IAT on Religion encourages participants to think about unconscious biases they may not realize they have. The test asks participants to categorize images or words associated with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim people, as well as positive and negative words. While the results promote self-awareness and dialogue, they do not induce guilt or shame, according to Project Implicit.edu. 

In their first assignment, students reflected on any surprises, confirmations, or questions about their results. They also identified two actions they could take over the next six months to increase their understanding of religious diversity.  

Surprises, Confirmations, and Questions  

Students were often surprised — and sometimes disappointed — by their results, which revealed subconscious preferences they had not previously recognized. Some found the outcomes humbling, realizing how deeply ingrained biases could shape their perceptions of others. One student shared, “I didn’t expect to be biased toward Christianity over other religions; I thought I was more neutral.” Many students noted that their ingrained beliefs stemmed from limited exposure to diverse perspectives and life experiences growing up in Christian households.   

Others believed world events and media portrayals influenced their perceptions. For example, one student reflected, “I was not surprised to find that I had a preference for Christianity over Islam because of how I was raised to be Baptist. I also lived through September 11. That event compelled me to join the military, during which I served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. I now understand how war and being in the Middle East hardened Western soldiers…”   

Overcoming Religious Biases  

Students shared strategies to address their biases and better understand religious diversity. Formal and informal education, community engagement, and self-reflection were common strategies. About half the students committed to experiential learning, such as attending religious services or participating in faith-related campus and community events. Many also wanted to build personal connections with individuals from different traditions. As one student noted, “Participating in respectful conversations has always helped me understand the lived experiences of others … maybe I will volunteer with a faith-based organization.”   

Recommendations for Instructors  

This experience provided several key lessons, leading to recommendations for instructors integrating religious literacy themes into their public health courses:   

Prepare for Multiple Course Formats: Structure the course’s scope and sequence in multiple formats to accommodate last-minute changes, various sections, and instructors.  

Utilize High-Quality Resources: Interfaith America and other organizations offer curated materials, including syllabi, assignments, case studies, videos, podcasts, and books, which can help enhance the curriculum.  

Collaborate with Other Faculty and Community Members: Building partnerships provides expertise, support, and broader perspectives. 

Incorporate Religious Literacy into Learning Outcomes: Embedding religious literacy into course and degree objectives ensures students leave the program with a deeper understanding of how faith intersects with health and equity.  

Create a Holistic Evaluation Plan: Consider evaluating all aspects of the student and instructor experience, including process and impact evaluation. Quantitative evaluation methods allow instructors to gather data on effectiveness and change in religious literacy levels to make data-driven improvements to enhance future courses. Alternatively, qualitative methods will describe the student’s experience as they become more aware and learn how to apply their new knowledge in public health practice.