Dr. El-Sayed is a public servant, Michigan politician, former public health professor, and a medical doctor. He served as executive director of the Detroit Health Department and Health Officer for the city from 2015 to 2017, before running for governor of Michigan.
From A.I. to zero emissions
Ford School faculty host and are featured in a variety of podcasts, covering policy topics from artificial intelligence, everyday economics, national security, and more.
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My job has always been to demonstrate to...
 The Ford School is pleased to announce an exciting lineup for the winter 2023 Policy Talks @ the Ford School series and other special public events hosted with partners from across campus.
Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise...
“The line of students registering to vote on Election Day stretched across the University of Michigan campus, with students waiting for over four hours. There was a palpable sense of excitement and urgency around the election on campus. For many...
Abdul El-Sayed, The New Republic: "The evidence is clear. Vaccines have saved and continue to save lives. A new study from the Commonwealth Fund and Yale University (one of DeSantis’s two Ivy League alma maters, by the way) showed that two years...
Last week, Wayne County tapped Abdul El-Sayed, Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, to take over as health director in March, and, in the meantime, serve as a project consultant for its Health, Human & Veterans Services Department.Â
"But...
Abdul El-Sayed, America Dissected: "Today’s episode is about exactly that kind of a set of heroes, a group of Black heroes that revolutionized emergency medical services. Everything from modern CPR to the ways ambulances look and operate. They had...
Abdul El-Sayed, Detroit Metro Times: "Democracy was decidedly on the ballot these midterms. Dozens of election deniers were running for seats involving elections administration. Several won, just not in communities where they can influence important...
Abdul El-Sayed, America Dissected: "If you talk to any pediatrician, there’s one big thing on their mind, RSV. Short for respiratory syncytial virus, RSV is a common virus that can cause serious illness and even death in young children. And that’s...
Abdul El-Sayed, The New Republic: "Obama in his remarks reminds Democrats of how to “hit back”—how to remind Americans that beyond the “inflation” talking points are real people living real lives—and that Republican plans would simply make their...
Abdul El-Sayed, America Dissected: "Today, millions of Americans have yet to receive a first dose of a safe, effective vaccine that has saved millions of lives, all because they’ve been victims of the virality of information. And that leaves them...
Abdul El-Sayed, Detroit Metro Times: "The frontal assault on our democracy is truly shocking — and it ought to be the most important issue facing our country in these elections. Yet, the systematic starvation and misappropriation of our democracy...
Abdul El-Sayed, Detroit Public TV: "This is a critical election. I know people are tired of hearing, 'This is the most important election in our lifetimes,' well unfortunately it somewhat is. And the reason why is democracy itself, the ability to...
Abdul El-Sayed, Detroit Metro Times: "It all comes back to power. After all, Herschel Walker is instrumental to GOP control of the Senate. And without Senate control, Republicans can’t keep passing policies that they themselves are immune from....
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, provides analysis on health policy in the month of September:
Detroit's Community Health Corps forges forward, Axios Detroit, September 6, 2022
"When we think about all the...
Abdul El-Sayed, Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, has been sought out by the media to discuss a plethora of issues, from climate policy to the upcoming midterm elections. Additionally, El-Sayed regularly contributes to political discourse...
This fall the Ford School welcomes a terrific group of new faculty members and visitors who will strengthen the connections between student education, rigorous academic research, and real-world policy impact.
Sam Bagenstos has been appointed the...
"The Supreme Court has arrogated itself over the other branches of government — and trampled the rights of Americans. It’s time to fix that," Ford School Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Abdul El-Sayed writes in Detroit Metro...
As cases of COVID continue to increase with the new Omicron sub-variant called BA.5, Ford School Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Abdul El-Sayed told the "What a Day" podcast that public health officials are worried about a potential...
Ford School Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Abdul El-Sayed opines that the Supreme Court betrayed the public trust in its final rulings released at the end of June -- overturning of Roe v. Wade, limiting gun control measures, and...
President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law on June 25—the first major gun reform bill in three decades. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Abdul El-Sayed explained it's also the biggest expansion of Medicaid since...
Weill Hall buzzed with excitement this week as the Ford School kicked off the 41st year of its Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute – a program designed to build diversity in public service. Hailing from coast to...
On May 12, Abdul El-Sayed, the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, testified before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee hearing titled “Medicare for All: Protecting Health, Saving Lives, Saving Money.”  El-Sayed was...
Abdul El-Sayed, Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, urges lawmakers to stop making auto insurance double as health insurance in a recent op-ed for Crain's Business Detroit.
"As Michiganders know all too well, we pay more for auto...
Celeste Watkins-Hayes, associate dean for academic affairs and founding director of the Center for Racial Justice, recently appeared on, America Dissected, a podcast hosted by Abdul El-Sayed, former Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence. She...
How are issues of equity addressed in health care innovation and in particular the patent process? Shobita Parthasarathy, professor of public policy and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program, addressed the question on...
The U-M Institute for Clinical & Health Research recognized John Ayanian with a 2020 Distinguished Clinical and Translational Research Mentor Award.
Joshua Basseches received a grant from the Climate Social Science Network to continue working on...
In an announcement this week, Pfizer announced its booster provides increased protection against the omicron COVID-19 variant. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence and epidemiologist Abdul El-Sayed weighed in on NPR's Here and Now about the...
Updates regarding faculty, staff, and student DEI-related activity at the Ford SchoolÂ
Diversifying what and how we teach
During the November faculty meeting, public policy lecturer Attia Qureshi presented on managing challenges in the...
As Michigan becomes a COVID-19 hotbed, Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Abdul El-Sayed unpacks what that means knowing what we know in 2021.Â
El-Sayed appeared on Detroit Today on WDET-FM to unpack what the recent surge in COVID-19...
