Integrating the social determinants of health into health workforce education and training

Over a decade ago, the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health recommended the development of a workforce “that is trained in the social determinants of health”. While knowledge on the social determinants of health has expanded, education of the health workforce is still lagging. In correcting this deficit, it is important that education and training on the social determinants of health is integrated in broader health system developments to advance primary health care and universal health coverage. 

This publication is the first global resource that targets educators, setting out social determinants of health theory and practical teaching applications, while drawing on a wide range of WHO and country experiences. This publication, along with the forthcoming World report on the social determinants of health equity, spearheads renewed efforts to address the social determinants of health to advance health equity. 

The training of the health workforce is part of the larger agenda to transform health workforce education for sustainable development, as recommended by the report of the United Nations High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth. This transformation process has become even more vital as the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the ways in which social determinants of health affect the vulnerability of people, and the social and public health measures that need to be taken to control the spread of pandemics.