Assessing Academic Health Centers’ Readiness to Implement Social Accountability to Advance Health Equity

This dissertation examines how AHCs can advance healthcare equity by implementing social accountability (SA) into their structures, policies, and practices. research has significant implications for healthcare equity and social responsibility theory, practice, and policy.

This research had two primary objectives. First, it explored how Academic Health Centers (AHCs) integrate social accountability (SA) across education, research, and clinical care, assessing how internal structures and policies either facilitate or hinder the implementation of a culture of social accountability. Second, it evaluated the extent to which AHCs prioritize health equity as a strategic priority and identified opportunities for enhancing their capacity for addressing health disparities. The study employed an exploratory, single-case mixed methods study methodology.