The Partners for Advancing Health Equity (P4HE Collaborative) promotes innovation in health equity by facilitating active learning and collaboration between people and organizations about critical health equity topics. In 2024, P4HE Collaborative grew from 502 to 753 members across academia (47%), community based organizations (21%), government (12%), philanthropy (5%), and the private sector (15%), and expanded to support the Health Equity Scholars for Action (HES4A), a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that supports the career development and academic advancement of researchers from historically underrepresented backgrounds who conduct health equity research.
As of January 1, 2025, P4HE has curated more than 1,530 resources in our action-oriented health equity library, including the addition of 7 new P4HE Collaborative podcast episodes, 15 new P4HE Collaborative authored blogs, and our Call for Continued Collaboration. Leveraging the Collaborative’s 2022 and 2023 Lessons in Health Equity, P4HE Collaborative led several virtual engagements focused on Health Equity beyond public health. Workshops created active learning experiences for people from all sectors to explore and implement systems aimed at achieving health equity. Participants engaged topics like Design Thinking for Design Justice, Equity in Philanthropy, and Mobilization of Community. Webinars provided a space for subject matter experts and participants to dive into specific topics and ideate relevant action steps needed to advance health equity. Over the past year, the webinars explored health equity themes related to:
- Advocacy and activism for health equity,
- The politics of health equity,
- Anti-racism and health equity,
- Art as activism for health equity,
- Responding to mental health in times of crisis,
- Centering the perspectives of individuals with IDD,
- The role of philanthropy in advancing health equity,
- Reproductive justice, and
- Overcoming threats to health equity.
What has the P4HE Collaborative learned over the last year? And how can those lessons be leveraged to impact change? Key Takeaways from this year’s learnings include:
- Uplift Community Voices and Initiatives. Center community voices and initiatives to improve health outcomes for all. Event speakers – based nationally and internationally - emphasized the importance of identifying and uplifting all communities in health. How can you engage with communities and support community-led health initiatives in your area?
- Respect Lived Experience. Treat communities with lived experience as experts on their health issues and solutions to meet their needs.
- Encourage Self-Advocacy. Foster a culture where communities feel empowered to speak up for their health needs and priorities.
- Engage Authentically. Collaborate with communities to co-create policies and programs.
- Support Community Initiatives. Support and expand community-led advocacy, programs, funding opportunities, and policy creation and change.
- Dismantle Unjust Systems. Acknowledge and dismantle oppressive systems that perpetuate racism, power imbalances, and barriers to health through anti-racism and power-sharing. What steps can you take to dismantle unjust systems in your community?
- Learn and Educate. Continuously learn about historical injustices and educate others on the continued legacy of racism and oppression for marginalized groups, including Black, Brown, low-income, LGBTQIA+, immigrant, and disabled populations.
- Reimagine Power Sharing. Consider new ways to authentically share power with communities and allow them to make important decisions.
- Call Out Racism and Practice Anti-racism. Identify and challenge institutionalized racism in systems and apply anti-racism principles and practices across sectors.
- Focus on Intersectionality. Keep intersectional marginalization at the forefront when designing health equity solutions.
- Mobilize for Policy and Leadership Change. Promote changes in policies and leadership through advocacy, activism, and political engagement. How can you get involved in political advocacy and activism to improve health outcomes?
- Build Coalitions. Connect with peers and form coalitions.
- Change Narratives. Retell the stories of inequities experienced by marginalized groups.
- Utilize Innovative Mediums. Use arts-based activism to communicate messages and engage leaders.
- Present Evidence. Collect and present compelling evidence to influence health leaders and policies.
- Engage Politically. Educate communities on voting and policies affecting them and speak directly with policymakers about the health implications of their policies.
- Allocate and Leverage Funding. Use funding to bolster health equity efforts and build capacity for communities. How can you support equitable funding practices in your work?
- Widen Applicant Pool. Draft and publish transparent, accessible, and flexible funding opportunities to widen the applicant pool.
- Empower Communities. Uplift communities to make funding decisions and redistribute power through approaches like trust-based philanthropy.
- Combine Resources. Pool resources and funding from various cross-sector partners to strengthen capacity of efforts.
- Integrate Initiatives into Policy. Embed and build on funded initiatives into formal health policies.
- Collaborate Across Sectors. Use a multi-pronged, cross-sector approach to address various determinants of health. How can you build effective cross-sector partnerships?
- Coordinate Services. Identify, coordinate, and provide important wraparound services to communities from various organizations.
- Leverage Assets. Utilize strengths, resources, and connections from cross-sector partners.
- Expand Reach and Momentum. Collaborate with non-traditional allies and unite across movements and sectors to build momentum for health equity.
Next steps for health equity. This year's lessons in health equity emphasized the importance of engaging communities in policymaking, identifying inclusive practices, and ensuring the accuracy of information. Moving forward, it will be crucial for all advocates of health equity to focus on effective actions that activate communities. To join the journey on advancing health equity for all, we encourage you to consider:
- Exploring 2025 P4HE Learnings. We urge you to dive into our 2025 programming, including the new Quarterly Learning Journey, our upcoming Breakthrough Health Film Festival at Tulane in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the hybrid P4HE Summit. These events are a great way to expand your knowledge and get involved in the health equity movement! Stay tuned for more details and registration info coming soon. Keep up with the latest updates by signing up for the P4HE Collaborative Newsletter, visiting our Learn page, and following us on social media platforms such as Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Bluesky.
- Joining the Collaborative. Become a member of the Partners for Health Equity Collaborative and join us for opportunities to connect and learn as we focus on action-oriented items and opportunities for additional skill-building throughout the next year.
- Sharing your knowledge. The P4HE Collaborative values your collaboration! Share your thoughts, favorite resources, or suggest topics for the collaborative.