Scholars in the interdisciplinary field of science and technology studies (STS) examine knowledge production, scientific practices, and therapeutics in social and cultural context. At UCSC, STS scholars analyze the symbolic dimensions and representational practices of global and community health; …
Bioethics
The field of bioethics developed in the 1960s as a response to a lack of accountability around the use of human and animal subjects in scientific research. Today, bioethics encompasses a broad range of perspectives. These range from contemporary public policy issues (such as the ethics of gene …
Gut Microbiome
The collection of microbes that resides in the human intestine profoundly influences our metabolism, our immune system, and our susceptibility to infections. The hundreds of thousands of genes in the genomes of these microbes are attractive targets for therapeutic intervention because they are …
Racial Justice
Recent years have highlighted the perennial challenge of achieving racial justice in US society and more globally. Racial justice seeks to effect institutional change in providing equality of access, opportunities, and outcomes irrespective of phenotypical classifications and categories. These …
Women’s Health
Gender inequities in health prevail in most countries throughout the world, despite ongoing attempts to eliminate them. Across the globe, prospects for good health among women are limited by social norms, practices, and policies that are rooted in gender discrimination and bias. The 1985 United …
Mental Health
Mental health and psychosocial wellbeing are critical foundations for overall health. The United Nations included mental health as integral to the global 2015 Sustainable Development Goals, but achieving these goals in the next generation remains a challenge given that the World Health Organization …
Stigma
Stigma, comprising negative attitudes or beliefs ascribed to certain attributes and characteristics, is also closely associated with discrimination in ways that commonly undermine health in stigmatized people. Stigma and discrimination have impacts across the health care continuum, impeding access …
Indigenous and Traditional Healing
UCSC is located on the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore …
