The Center for Health Equity has a new name!

“This name change is about recognizing the critical and expanded role of this team in supporting health equity strategy and innovation across our many programs and divisions at MDH,” said Dr. Halkeno Tura, assistant commissioner for the Health Equity Bureau, which houses the health equity division. “When health equity is seamlessly integrated into all of our public health initiatives, the programs, research, and policies we formulate undergo a fundamental transformation, enabling us to address the root causes of preventable health disparities rather than merely addressing surface-level symptoms.” 

Health equity division Director Odi Akosionu-DeSouza added that, while the core values of the Center for Health Equity remain, elevating the center to a division will better position us to partner with programs and divisions across the agency on innovative, systems-level approaches that will support true transformation. Learn more about the teams and staff in the Health Equity Division on the Health Equity Staff and Contact Information page. 

The Division of Health Equity Strategy and Innovation is now one of many areas at MDH dedicated to advancing equity within MDH and across Minnesota. The Health Equity Division sits within the larger Health Equity Bureau, which was created in 2022 to bring an overt and expanded health equity focus to the work of the agency. Learn more about the offices and teams in the Health Equity Bureau in the MDH organizational chart.