Through a unique collaboration between the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the Mexican American Studies Department at the University of Arizona, Project EXPORT fellows organized a Social Justice in Health Symposium to address politics, social justice and health in the Southwest. Bringing together multidisciplinary groups of students, faculty and staff, the symposium increased awareness and fostered community building for inclusive dissemination and discussion of recent research, community activities and policies that affect health disparities.

A number of governmental policies, both historical and contemporary, exist that adversely affect the health of communities, particularly communities of color. Recognizing that policies and the social determinants of health are not mutually exclusive, the symposium emphasized the need for public health to develop a framework where communities benefit from public health efforts and policies that foster human rights such as access to safe and affordable housing, quality education, and an ability to economically provide for oneself, their family and health care. When these issues are addressed from justice-based approaches, with strong communities as the objective, then a fair and equitable state of health can be realized.

With over 130 attendees, the symposium included three morning sessions: Promoting Social Justice through the Lens of Media, Fairness, Equality and the Educational system and Social Justice in the Built and Natural Environment. The afternoon session included three main sections: Diverse Perspectives in the Southwest Community, Community Empowerment, Geographic Location, Occupation and Environment as Social Determinants and Creating Change through Student Involvement and Service Learning.