Dr. Stephen Bezruchka seeks to expose why health disparities among nations around the globe are at record highs and empowers people to address the socioeconomic inequities that have most impact on the health of populations. He is especially interested in how people in the USA don't live very long or healthy lives. Bezruchka’s work takes him from teaching at the University of Washington’s Department of Global Health to remote regions of Nepal, where he wrote the first guidebook to travel there, set up a community health project, organized a rural hospital for the Generalist Doctor Training Program, worked with Nepali doctors to improve surgical services in district hospitals, and now consults on population health issues.

Bezruchka worked in clinical medicine for 35 years. He received the UW School of Public Health's 2002 Outstanding Teacher Award and the 2008 Faculty Community Service Award. He founded the Population Health Forum to raise awareness of, promote dialogue about, and explore how political, economic and social inequalities interact to reduce the overall health status of our society.

Population Health Forum
Bezruchka_Stephen - Department of Health Services

"The idea that hard work never killed anyone is one of those maxims that turns out not to be true. One of the characteristics of a rapidly expanding economy is that people try to garner as much income as they can, working long hours and even multiple jobs. Spending time with friends and family is good for your health."