Health

In the Media

The positive outlook for new Eli Lilly weight loss drug - Udow-Phillips

Apr 17, 2025 Axios

Marianne Udow-Phillips, a senior adviser to the Center for Health and Research and member of the Ford School faculty shared the promising future for a new orally ingested weight-loss pill by Eli Lilly. "The demand is great, and it would be so much...

In the Media

Shaefer's Rx Kids program to extend to Wayne County

Apr 10, 2025 Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Free Press has recently highlighted Wayne County Executive Warren Evans' plans to combat child poverty through cash aid programs. Evans discussed his hope to bring Rx Kids, the anti-poverty program directed by the Ford School's Luke...

Photo of Luke Shaefer in the Ford School's Towsley Reading Room

In the Media

Health and Human Services is under fire with the Trump administration - Bagenstos

Mar 11, 2025 HuffPost

The Ford School's Sam Bagenstos commented on a recent initiative from President Trump to shut down a half dozen regional offices at the Department of Health and Human Services. Bagenstos told HuffPost “When hospitals go bankrupt, it’s the regional...

In the Media

Shaefer on community violence intervention in Detroit

Mar 6, 2025 Michigan Public

Luke Shaefer, Ford School professor and directory of Poverty Solutions, talked about the community violence intervention program in Detroit called FORCE (Faithfully Organizing Resources for Community Empowerment) as well as others including...

In the Media

Shaefer's Rx Kids program set to expand to Kalamazoo

Feb 23, 2025 WOOD

Following huge success in its first year, the child healthcare support program Rx Kids is set to expand from Flint into Kalamazoo. Luke Shaefer, professor at the Ford School and the program's co-director stated, "We see families reporting that they...

News

Shaefer's Rx Kids program set to expand to the Upper Penninsula

Feb 14, 2025

Rx Kids, the nation’s first-ever citywide cash prescription program for pregnant women and babies, today announced the program’s launch into communities in the Eastern Upper Peninsula (UP). The UP expansion of Rx Kids is made possible by an...

In the Media

Bagenstos comments on the immorality of funding cuts to the NIH

Feb 11, 2025 Science

The Trump administration initiated a plan to cut federal funding for the National Institute of Health by billions of dollars. The funding cut for biomedical research was perceived as widely unpopular by federal judges and members of Congress. Samuel...

In the Media

Why Herd says barriers to healthcare access are particularly "frustrating"

Dec 16, 2024 The Seattle Medium

Speaking with The Seattle Medium, Ford School professor Pam Herd stated paperwork and barriers to government benefits are almost always frustrating and painful. “It’s one thing to be frustrated at the DMV because you have a ton of paperwork to fill...

News

Rx Kids shows promising results after its first year

Dec 9, 2024

Since its start in January of 2024, Rx Kids has been a lifesaver for young families in Flint Michigan. The program was co-founded by the Ford School's Luke Shaefer and provides Flint residents with $1,500 mid-pregnancy, and $500 each month for the...

In the Media

Herd discusses challenges to receiving disability benefits

Nov 25, 2024 MarketWatch

Pamela Herd, Ford School professor, says that disability benefits are "a category of benefits that’s most difficult to access and most misaligned with the population it’s trying to serve." Additionally, she says the system is "designed in ways that...

In the Media

Raimi: Americans are often scared of climate migrants

Aug 7, 2024 CoreLogic

Kaitlin Raimi, Ford School professor, discussed how climate change communications color how people view climate migrants. She explained, climate migration is "people moving because of climate change," either catastrophic events or slower effects...

In the Media

Levy: Older Michiganders feeling the financial strain

Jul 19, 2024 Michigan Advance

Helen Levy, Ford School professor, discussed the results of study that found that older Michiganders are feeling financially squeezed even though the state's economy is recovering. She said “Michigan’s unemployment rate is now just under 4%, the...

News

Ford school faculty available to weigh in on 2024 elections

Jan 28, 2024

The University of Michigan has published an experts guide to the 2024 elections. Ford School faculty are available to offer insights on relevant issues impacting the elections, including the following: Economics Betsey Stevenson, professor of...

Red, white, and blue balloons and stars with a large white checkmark

News

New Michigan landscape map highlights counties affected hardest by opioid epidemic

Nov 9, 2023

A new landscape map and analysis created by the University of Michigan show demographic information with a connection to opioid use disorder, examining data such as unemployment rates, annual income, opioid-related hospitalizations, and...

Publication

New study ties exposure to armed conflict violence in childhood with subsequent alcohol use disorder

Sep 27, 2023

Exposure to nearby violence has been shown to increase the onset of alcohol use disorders (AUD), especially in young people. In new research, William Axinn, Ford School professor and research professor at the Survey Research Center and Population...

Publication

Ayanian, IHPI report provides key insights as Medicaid 'unwinding' continues and more states expand eligibility

Aug 25, 2023

At a pivotal time for Medicaid health coverage for Americans with low incomes, a report on the impacts of Michigan's Medicaid expansion shows very positive effects, as well as opportunities for continued improvements. The report was produced by...

News

PPIA students reflect on their summer of study and social life

Aug 2, 2023

What are the dynamics of inequity in labor markets? How do we determine appropriate categories for people in a multicultural society? How is the U.S. approach to ethnicity and nationality different from what they are doing in Europe? These were...

Group of PPIA students posing in front of Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy courtyard

News

Engaged Learning Student Projects Catalog: Preparing Ford School students for leadership

Jun 29, 2023

During the Winter Term 2023, Ford School students were involved in projects with federal, state, county, city, and township governments, school districts, non-profit organizations, and commissions. They worked with the school’s numerous research...

Weill Hall entrance with "Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy" etched into the glass

News

Ford School expert: One year after Dobbs decision, restrictive abortion laws part of a 'willful policy vacuum'

Jun 26, 2023

As the one-year anniversary passes on the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade—and with it the constitutional right to an abortion—University of Michigan public policy professor Paula Lantz offers insights on the ramifications of that...

Publication

Thacher on coercion in mental health treatment

Jun 26, 2023

The death of Jordan Neely on a subway car in New York in May remains in the news, as a former marine, Daniel Penny, has been indicted for the chokehold that killed him. In the background, details of Neely’s mental illness has reignited a debate...

In the Media

Lantz fact-checks unfounded unsafe medication abortion claims

May 23, 2023 USA Today

Paula Lantz, USA Today: Medication abortion is safe, and a large number of studies validate this, according to Paula Lantz, an abortion policy expert at the University of Michigan. The New York Times analyzed over 100 studies spanning countries and...

News

The impact of Title 42 on disease prevention and migrants' well-being

May 17, 2023

Title 42 was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic under the Trump administration with the aim of restricting the entry of migrants into the United States, citing concerns over potential disease spread and resource strain. However, the...

Photo of Ann Lin in her office at the U-M's Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies

News

Suburban Detroit Water Unaffordability: Causes, Consequences, and the Need for Comprehensive Policy Interventions

May 16, 2023

A policy brief from Poverty Solutions outlines the need for policy reform in the delivery of clean water, based on assessments of economically diverse communities in the Detroit area. Michigan is blessed with a significant portion of the world’s...

News

Ford School's Paula Lantz: Implications of restrictive abortion policies on maternal health, social welfare

May 10, 2023

Restrictive abortion policies in the U.S. are predicted to have negative effects on maternal health, women's economic opportunities and social welfare systems. A multidisciplinary team of experts from the University of Michigan warns that...

News

Ford School student presents research at U-M event for WHO head

Apr 21, 2023

The Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, came to the U-M campus to receive the Thomas Francis Jr. Medal in Global Public Health, awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the...

News

Advancing Health Policy Research and Reducing Social Disparities in Health

Mar 13, 2023

Paula Lantz, PhD, joins Michigan Minds to discuss the social determinants of declining birth rates, the role of public policy in improving population health and reducing social disparities in health, and the particular importance of recognizing...

News

Governor Gretchen Whitmer to speak at the University of Michigan, in conversation with CNN Anchor Chris Wallace

Feb 26, 2023

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will visit the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, March 8, for a special event alongside CNN Anchor Chris Wallace. Beginning at 6:00pm at Rackham Auditorium, the hour-long fireside chat...

News

Ford School welcomes local and state elected officials to boost collaborative work

Feb 16, 2023

Elected officials from local, county, and state government came to the Ford School to hear about the potential for collaborations with their offices and the School’s faculty, research centers, and students. Fifteen members of the Michigan State...

Local Public Officials at the Ford School

News

Announcing winter 2023 Ford School events

Jan 11, 2023

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...

Headshots of Peter Meijer, Jelani Cobb, Jeh Johnson, Andy Levin, and Angela Harrelson

News

EPI examines education impacts of the Flint Water Crisis

Dec 4, 2022

Eight years ago, the Flint water crisis captured national attention when the city’s tap water was shown to be contaminated with lead. Since then, researchers have been rigorously studying this crisis and measuring the effects of this lead exposure...

Photo of the Flint Water Plant water tower in Flint, Michigan