Book excerpt: Essentials of Health Justice is a short stand-alone text or supplemental primer for a wide range of undergraduate and graduate public health, health policy, medical, nursing, health administration, and other health profession courses that focus on or include content on the social determinants of health, underserved populations, health equity, and the relationship between social justice and health. Essentials of Health Justice will serve to enhance discussion of the many legal, structural and policy issues underlying health disparities; the various public health and health care interventions geared toward improving access and better outcomes for vulnerable populations; and the ways in which the nation can better achieve health equity and justice.