The Rooms Where It Happens: Students Step into the Policy Arena
The Health Policy and Management Department at the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is preparing students to do more than study policy—they’re learning how to shape it. This spring, that preparation moved beyond the classroom with immersive trips to Baton Rouge and Washington, D.C., where students engaged directly with government officials, alumni, and policy leaders to see firsthand how decisions are made—and how those decisions impact the health of communities.
Both trips were led by Dr. Kevin Callison, program director for the Master’s of Public Health (MPH) in Health Policy and Management.
“Ultimately it's about getting the students practical experience with the legislative process, both at the state level through the Baton Rouge trip, and then at the Federal level through the D.C. trip,” Callison said. “We can do a lot in the classroom, but that only goes so far. Actually getting out and experiencing how the process works is really helpful for the students.”
In D.C., students met with a number of officials and former participants in the program, including:
- Wendell Primus, who is currently a visiting fellow with the Brookings Institution and was formerly a senior policy advisor to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
- Kim Brandt, deputy administrator and chief operation officer for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Chris Jennings, president of Jennings Policy Strategies and a longtime senior health policy advisor to the White House and Congress
- and Tilithia McBride, chief operating officer of the Federation of American Hospitals
The trip culminated in a case competition at the American Enterprise Institute in which four teams of students presented their own health policy proposals, followed by a reception at the Cosmos Club.
“There are specific examples of these networking events leading to jobs for the new students who are coming out [of the MPH program],” Callison said.
Alumnus Chip Kahn, former president and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals, was instrumental in organizing the annual event. With more than five decades in Washington D.C., Kahn’s access to speakers and guests was invaluable.
“Because Chip is so well known and he's so established in D.C., he's provided access to people that the students would never otherwise get a chance to interact with,” Callison pointed out.
Later that same month, public health students were on the road again, this time to Baton Rouge during the legislative session, allowing them to experience the committee process, meet with legislators, and tour the Capitol.
Louisiana Progress, an advocacy organization for state health policy, was a partner in arranging the trip and helped the students develop advocacy materials, which were then presented as legislation during session. The goal was for the students who've worked on a bill to be able to go to Baton Rouge and testify in the committee hearing on the pros or cons.
For the first time, undergraduate students were invited to participate in Louisiana Capitol trip.
Networking opportunities remained the highlight for both master’s students and undergraduates.
“It's really a tremendous opportunity for the students in the program to make connections and allows those that are interested in health policy a pathway to get there,” Callison says. “Former students who have paved the way are generally very happy to help the students that that are coming along behind them.”
Scroll down to see photographs from each experience.
