Penn Bioethics Seminar Series: Renuka Tipirneni, MD, MSc, FACP

Incorporating Social Determinants of Health into Clinical and Public Health Practice: Ethical and Policy Challenges

Renuka Tipirneni, MD, MSc, FACP
Assistant Professor, University of Michigan

Abstract: Both public and private payers have increasingly called for addressing social determinants of health, to address health care costs and equity across patient populations. However, challenges remain that hinder implementation in the health care sector (where these non-medical circumstances have not traditionally been addressed) and in the public health sector (where social determinants have long been considered but less often invoked in policies prioritizing equity). This seminar will review the evidence base for screening patients for social needs in health care settings, exploring the ethical challenges of asking people about needs when intervention on those needs may not be available. We will then discuss measures of community-level social disadvantage currently used by public health leaders, discussing potential legal challenges of considering race in such formulas when prioritizing health equity.

Dr. Tipirneni is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Divisions of General Medicine and Hospital Medicine, and at the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation (IHPI) at the University of Michigan. Dr. Tipirneni’s research focuses on investigating the impact of health reform policies and programs on low socioeconomic status, minority, aging and other vulnerable populations, and on delivery of care in the health care safety net. Her current work includes examinations of Medicaid policy, Medicare, and integration of social determinants of health into clinical practice. She serves as Co-Director of the Michigan Social Health Interventions to Eliminate Disparities (MSHIELD) collaborative quality initiative which aims to identify and address patients’ social needs across the state of Michigan. She has also investigated the Affordable Care Act, Michigan’s Medicaid expansion, and other state and federal policies, and is a recipient of a K08 career development award from the National Institute on Aging examining the impact of coverage expansions on near retirement adults. Dr. Tipirneni is passionate about the translation of research into implementation of health policies and health care delivery, including sharing lessons learned across communities and states.

For more information, contact Mary Pham, Mary.Pham@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.