A conversation with Celeste Watkins-Hayes and Paula Lantz

A public health lens needs to be part of the tool kit of being an effective policymaker, and the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the stark neccessity of this approach to drive fundamental changes to social inequality. Join Ford School Dean and founding director of the U-M Center for Racial Justice, Celeste Watkins-Hayes and Paula Lantz, James B. Hudak Professor of Health Policy, as they discuss the important roles of public health policy and social policy in addressing structural inequities. 

This event is part of the Ford School's Welcome HoMe celebration in conjunction with the University of Michigan's 2022 Homecoming weekend. Attendance is free and open to the public. 

Faculty Expert

Celeste M. Watkins-Hayes

Dean; Director, Center for Racial Justice

Watkins-Hayes is an internationally-recognized scholar and expert on HIV/AIDS; urban poverty; social policy; and racial, class, and gender inequality. Her work illuminates social problems of great interest to scholars, communities, and policymakers. She works at the intersection of sociology, African American Studies, and public policy. Her work analyzes the impact of the HIV epidemic on women and the growth of the HIV safety net.

Faculty Expert

Paula Lantz

James B. Hudak Professor of Health Policy; Director, BA Programs

A social demographer, Lantz studies the role of public policy in improving population health and reducing social disparities in health. She is currently engaged in research regarding innovative financing approaches for supportive housing among Medicaid beneficiaries, and also on how COVID-19 is exacerbating existing social and health inequalities in the U.S.

• racial equity
• health policy
• Celeste Watkins-Hayes
• Paula Lantz