Welcome!

Interest in the social dimensions of health has increased dramatically in the last decade. Health and social care industries are rapidly expanding in many parts of the world. Entrance requirements for medical schools now include more understanding of the social and behavioural sciences. Knowledge about health and society is therefore extremely relevant and beneficial to a variety of students.

The Health and Society (HESO) Minor in UBC’s Faculty of Arts has been re-designed to provide optimal flexibility for students from many different disciplines and backgrounds. HESO enables students to learn about such key issues as: the social determinants of health, health beliefs and behaviours, cultural representations of health and illness, health inequalities, and other social aspects of health, from multidisciplinary perspectives.

See the list of HESO courses, get answers to frequently asked questions, contact an advisory committee member, read testimonials from program alumni, or visit our events page to find out more.