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Keynote III - Advancing Health Equity and Social Justice – An Examination of Stigma

Keynote Sessions
Title: Advancing Health Equity and Social Justice – An Examination of Stigma
Speaker: Professor Dr. Michael V. Relf

Biography:
Michael V. Relf, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, is the Interim Dean, Duke University School of Nursing; the
Associate Chief Nurse Executive for Academic Partnerships and Innovation, Duke Health; and
a Professor of Nursing & Global Health and the Mary T. Champagne Distinguished Professor at Duke
University, Durham, North Carolina, USA. Renowned for his research on the psychosocial aspects of HIV,
Dr. Relf has focused on intimate partner violence, HIV-related stigma, and interventions to promote HIV
care engagement. He has been honored as a Fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and
the National League for Nursing’s Academy of Nursing Education.

Abstract:
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) Code of Ethics for Nurses (revised 2021) declares that “nurses
advocate for equity and social justice in resource allocation, access to health care and other social
and economic services” (1.7). Further, this document also recognizes that “nurses collaborate with
other health and social care professions and the public to uphold principles of justice by promoting
responsibility in human rights, equity and fairness and by promoting the public good and a healthy
planet” (4.7). Similarly, Competency 8 of the Consortium of Universities in Global Health focuses on
Health Equity as Social Justice.

Individuals, families, communities, and governments around the world value good health. We also
know that good health is not achieved equitably. When certain groups within a society – for
example, those with limited economic resources and those who have been historically
marginalized – experience different outcomes, issues of unfairness, or injustice, arise (WHO, 2016). The
social determinants of health, combined with numerous structural determinants, impact individual,
family, and population health outcomes. In addition to where someone is born or where they live,
stigma is another significant social determinant of health that impedes good health.

This address will examine the issues of social justice, human rights, the social and structural
determinants of health, and health equity as they are major drivers of health inequities with a major
focus on stigma.

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