Social Pathways to Health Vulnerability: Implications for Health Professionals

Primarily intended for DNP and PhD students in nursing and health care who are expected to design research to identify health-related problems and solutions, this book focuses on the concepts, theories and processes of how social determinants affect the health of populations. Using specific social determinants as an organizing framework, it presents ample scientific evidence from health and social disciplines of the universal processes that produce the social patterning of health inequities.

This book is organized into three major parts, beginning with the social pathways to health vulnerability, followed by research methods and subsequently frameworks for action. The methods section provides selected research approaches suitable for studying the impact of social variables on population health, as well as the outcomes of multilevel interventions. Each chapter provides an in-depth presentation of relevant theoretical knowledge and research-based examples of work conducted inthe area. The book addresses the specific implications for health professional leaders such as nurses or health policy makers, highlighting their role in achieving macrosocial changes to promote health among specific vulnerable populations.

Both of the book’s editors are prominent and highly respected scholars in their field. The team of authors is highly multidisciplinary, including experts from the fields of medicine, public health, education and epidemiology who have conducted research on the social determinants of population health. Combining their varied perspectives, this book offers a valuable resource for graduate students (PhD, MD, DNP, MSN, etc.), faculty, researchers and clinicians in health professions. 

Dula F. Pacquiao, EdD, RN, CTN‐A, TNS, is a retired professor and former director of the PhD in Urban Health Program and the Center for Multicultural Research, Education and Practice at Rutgers University, School of Nursing. Her doctoral degree in Social and philosophical foundations of education is grounded in sociology, anthropology and history. She designed, implemented and integrated social determinants of health into PhD, DNP and MSN programs. She was a Senior Editor and a current Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Transcultural Nursing. She co‐edited the book, Core Curriculum for Transcultural Nursing and Health Care (Sage, 2010) and authored 17 book chapters including Social Determinants of Health, in Holtz’s Global Health Care (Jones and Bartlett, 2017) and Cultural Competence in Ethical Decision‐making in Andrews and Boyle’s Transcultural Concepts in Nursing Care (Wolters Kluwer, 2016).

Marilyn “Marty” K. Douglas, PhD, RN, FAAN, earned herPhD (International and Cross Cultural Nursing) from the University of California, San Francisco, where she is currently an Associate Clinical Professor. Her international work has been concentrated in developing countries, beginning with a Peace Corps assignment in Colombia and an internship with Pan American Health Organization in its Mexico City site. Dr. Douglas served as Editor‐in‐Chief of the Journal of Transcultural Nursing for 15 years and chair of the American Academy of Nurses (AAN) Task Force on Standards of Culturally Competent Nursing Practice. In addition, Dr. Douglas worked with the American Nurses Association to develop a new standard of practice, “Cultural Congruent Practice”. Dr. Douglas also served as Editor‐in‐Chief of the Core Curriculum for Transcultural Nursing and Health Care.