Mixed Methods Analysis of Inclusive Pedagogy in a Population Health Sciences Graduate Curriculum

Underrepresentation and attrition of graduate students from diverse backgrounds reduce workforce diversity. Inclusive pedagogy practices promote learning environments where students from diverse backgrounds can thrive. We adopt categories from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-Designated Populations with Health Disparities in our definition of diversity: race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, rural residence, disability status, and sexual orientation. This study aims to empirically evaluate inclusive practices in a population health sciences graduate degree program, offering actionable recommendations for similar programs. We conducted a convergent mixed-methods study to evaluate inclusive practices in the first-year master’s degree program curriculum at the Duke University Department of Population Health Sciences (DPHS). Guided by a conceptual framework, we evaluated inclusive practices in three domains: culturally inclusive pedagogy practices, health disparities coverage, and diverse representation within course materials. We reviewed eight foundational courses and interviewed 10 current students about their classroom experience. The curriculum exhibited several strong inclusive teaching practices, including addressing diversity and inclusion in syllabi, soliciting feedback from students, and covering material from diverse perspectives and health disparities. However, these practices were not universal in the program, creating opportunities for improvements across courses, addressing the unique needs of international students, and covering material from non-U.S. perspectives. We identified major strengths and some gaps that will inform actionable feedback for graduate training teaching faculty to enhance inclusive pedagogy in the population health curriculum. In addition, the approach outlined may be useful as a model for other graduate programs to formally evaluate their curriculum to generate context-specific recommendations.