Short CommunicationTransforming health care education to address social determinants of health: The 2014 hot spotters student program

PurposeWe describe an interdisciplinary community-academic program that teaches students how to assess and address social determinants of health (SDH) and population health for patients using the emergency department (ED).MethodTwelve students from multiple disciplines participated in the Hot Spotters Student Program (HSSP). The students conducted SDH assessments on 456 patients and visited 11 different local community organizations.ResultsStudent focus group analysis identified three main themes: 1) previous lack of awareness or educational training about social determinants of health and health inequities, 2) self-noted post-program professional and educational growth, and 3) increased community awareness and engagement.