The Health Policy Checkup

In this episode, undergraduate public health students Easheta Shah and Nia Allen are joined by decision scientist and health policy researcher Anton L.V. Avancena. Avancena recently completed his PhD in Health Organization and Policy at the University of Michigan in 2022, where he was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar, and now works as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas College of Pharmacy. One of his main areas of research involves understanding the health, economic, and social consequences of alcohol misuse and evaluating treatments, pharmacotherapies, and population-level interventions that reduce the burden of alcohol use. As he walks us through his main takeaways from each step in his public health journey — ranging from HIV/AIDS research to mental health work in Santa Clara to global health efforts at the University of California San Francisco — we begin to realize that it really isn’t about the dream job at the final destination. Anton’s vast interests across different areas in public health bring a nuanced perspective to our pressing questions about equity and efficiency within the behavioral health care system.

In this episode, MK Fletcher discusses her work at The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and some of the issues that workers across multiple industries face today. Jaymie Tibbits is a graduate student at the School of Social Social Work and hosted this conversation. Iulia Dobrin, an undergraduate student at the Ford School of Public Policy supported the production of this episode. Both are members of the Health Policy Student Association (HPSA).MK Fletcher holds a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. In her role as the Safety and Health Specialist at the AFL-CIO, she advocates for stronger health and safety protections on the job. She is the lead author of the annual report, Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, a national and state-by-state profile of workers health and safety in the United States. Ms. Fletcher works within the national, state and international policy space to advocate for stronger health and safety protections on the job through laws, standards and programs.

In this episode, Amber Bellazaire discusses what led to her interest in health policy, some of the issues she has recently worked on, and shares her recommendation for anyone interested in a professional career as a policy analyst. Jaymie Tibbits is a graduate student at the School of Social Social Work and hosted this conversation. Nia Allen, an undergraduate student at the School of Public Health supported the production of this episode. Both are members of the Health Policy Student Association (HPSA).

Amber Bellazaire is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP). Her work focuses on state policy and budget decisions that affect Michigan’s Medicaid programs. Before joining the League, Amber worked in the Health program at the National Conference of State Legislatures where she provided technical assistance to state legislators and legislative staff and monitored state legislation related to injury and violence prevention and maternal and child health. Amber holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan.

In this episode, Ellie Jorling and Ronnie Sharangpani lead a conversation with Jonathan Cohn about his book, The Ten Year War. Cohn discusses how the Affordable Care Act came to be, what the core tenets of it are, what it means for the average American, and what future changes we can expect to healthcare policy. Ellie Jorling is a graduate student at the Ford School of Public Policy and Ronnie Sharangpani is a graduate student at the School of Public Health. Both are members of the Health Policy Student Association (HPSA).

Jonathan Cohn is a lecturer in public policy at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the senior national correspondent for HuffPost. At HuffPost, Cohn writes about politics and policy with a focus on social welfare. He is also the author of Sick (2007, HarperCollins) and The Ten Year War (2021, St. Martin's). Jonathan, who is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, worked previously at the New Republic and American Prospect, and has written for The Atlantic, New York Times Magazine, and Self, among other publications. His journalism has won awards from the Sidney Hillman Foundation, the Association of Health Care Journalists, World Hunger Year, and the National Women's Political Caucus.

In this episode, Abigail Lindsay leads a conversation with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed about Medicare for All. Dr. El-Sayed discusses the advantages of Medicare for All, how it differs from other universal healthcare models, the Medicare for All movement, and provides suggestions for how students can get involved. Abigail Lindsay is a Registered Nurse, a graduate student in the Health Management & Policy program, and a contributor to the Health Policy Student Association (HPSA) at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is a physician, epidemiologist, educator, author, speaker, and podcast host. His newsletter, The Incision, cuts to the heart of the trends shaping our moment. He is a commentator at CNN. His three books include Healing Politics, calling for a politics of empathy to cure our epidemic of insecurity, and Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Guide with Dr. Micah Johnson. He is the host of “America Dissected,” a podcast by Crooked Media, which goes beyond the headlines to explore what really matters for our health. He is a Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence at the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and a Senior Fellow at the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, teaching at the intersection of public health, public policy, and politics. In addition, he is a Scholar in Residence at Wayne State University and American University. He is formerly the health director for the city of Detroit and a candidate for governor of Michigan in 2018.

In this episode, Hanan Rakine leads a conversation with Margardia Jorge on the importance of real people working as activists to influence health policy. Hanan Rakine is an accomplished student activist and contributor to the Health Policy Student Association at the University of Michigan.

Margarida Jorge is the Executive Director of Health Care for American Now (HCAN). She was a co-founder of the campaign in 2008 and chief architect of the 47 state field program that helped win the Affordable Care Act. Margarida brings nearly three decades of experience to health care advocacy from national and state work.