health policy

Publication

The role of state ballot initiatives in abortion policymaking has peaked, Lantz says

Dec 18, 2024

Since the 2022 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, state ballot measures, which allow citizens to vote on state constitutional amendments and laws, have become a significant form of abortion policymaking. Paula...

State & Hill

Greater than its sum: an update on the Kohn Collaborative

Dec 17, 2024

Six years ago, Harold and Carol Kohn approached the Ford School with a vision. Their goal was to help build a vibrant research community dedicated to promoting social equity and inclusion. Today, the Kohn Collaborative for Social Policy is poised to...

In the Media

Herd: Barriers to health care access are especially painful

Dec 6, 2024 NPR

Pam Herd, a professor of social policy at the University of Michigan who studies administrative burdens involved in accessing government services, says barriers to health care access are especially painful."It's one thing to be frustrated at the DMV...

News

Michelmore discusses how expanded tax credits benefited family well-being on new podcast

Nov 7, 2024

In a new episode of Mathematica’s On the Evidence podcast, Ford School’s Katherine Michelmore reflects on her career—from her first job as a research assistant at the Urban Institute, to her current position at the Ford School studying the effects...

News

Policymakers discuss whether states can pull off single-payer healthcare

Oct 8, 2024

Though millions of Americans still lack health insurance coverage, federal healthcare reform has stagnated since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Facing the prospect of continued federal inaction, policymakers at the state level are exploring...

Publication

Distrust in U.S. healthcare system fuels COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

Sep 20, 2024

New research from the University of Michigan examines how long-standing distrust in the U.S. healthcare system has significantly impacted attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. The research is led by Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Joan and Sanford Weill...

Headshots of Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes and Dom Adams-Santos

News

Ford School names Paulina Trujillo as 2024 Kohn Scholar

Sep 17, 2024

The Ford School recognizes Paulina Trujillo (MPP ‘26) as the 2024 Kohn Scholar. Kohn Scholars are chosen for their outstanding qualifications and commitment to public service and advancing social policy. The fellowship is a Ford School Rackham...

Publication

Lantz urges rigorous research into the effects of abortion policy

Aug 28, 2024

The U.S. Supreme Court 2022 Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health decision significantly altered the public policy landscape for abortion care, and created a critical need for objective and high-quality abortion policy evaluation research, according...

News

U-M Ford School welcomes renowned scholars and former city leaders

Aug 22, 2024

The Ford School successfully grew our faculty in 2024, bringing in experts to deepen our focus on early childhood education, health and aging, better government, and criminal justice policy. Additionally, we welcomed distinguished policymakers in...

Publication

As election approaches, national poll shows which health topics concern older adults most

Aug 15, 2024

All types of health care costs, and financial scams, rise to the top in University of Michigan study.More than half of the people who voted in the 2020 election were age 50 and older, making this age group a key demographic for candidates up and...

News

Ford School welcomes senior scholars Pamela Herd and Donald Moynihan

Jul 12, 2024

On June 20, the Regents of the University of Michigan approved the appointments of two distinguished new Ford School faculty, sociologist Pamela Herd and political scientist Donald...

Headshots of Pamela Herd and Donald Moynihan

News

Christiana Verdelus named the inaugural winner of the Ali Family Memorial Writing Prize

Jul 9, 2024

Recent graduate Christiana Verdelus (MPP ‘24) has won the inaugural Ali Family Memorial Writing Prize for her work, “Why Michigan's Certificate of Need Law Must be Repealed to Improve Black Maternal Health.”Verdelus’s paper addresses the problem of...

News

Survey shows how Detroiters’ mental health has changed since pandemic

May 30, 2024

Detroiters’ mental health-related symptoms have improved and largely stabilized since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a University of Michigan report.While the negative impacts of the pandemic on people’s mental health are well...

Photo of building with sign that reads, "How are you really?"

News

Bold Challenges awards $700K for eight research teams

May 1, 2024

Eight interdisciplinary teams from across the University of Michigan have received more than $700,000 from the Bold Challenges’ Accelerate Program to explore innovative research projects that address a wide range of societal challenges ranging from...

Publication

State bans on ‘divisive concepts’ could stifle population health research

Apr 25, 2024

Ten states have passed legislation that prohibits teaching and mandatory training for students, faculty, and staff in public higher education on specified 'divisive concepts' related to race and sex. In four of these states, the bans extend to all...

State & Hill

Discourse: Fordies in the news, spring 2024

Apr 24, 2024

“The most likely explanation for our findings is that Black—and to a lesser extent Hispanic—families were more concerned about the health risks associated with in-person schooling than white families. This is consistent with the fact that nonwhite...

Headshots of Jacob, Camara, Wolfers, Raimi, and Ivacko

State & Hill

Demographer Paula Lantz on the challenges of designing public health policy

Apr 24, 2024

The government has a clear role in promoting and assuring the goals of public health—the prevention of illness and injury, prolonging life, and promoting the collective health of the entire population. Achieving these goals cannot be left to the...

News

Stacey Abrams, other policymakers and leading scholars to join Ford School symposium

Mar 12, 2024

The Ford School of Public Policy is happy to announce the Dean’s Symposium, which will take place April 11 and 12 at Weill Hall, with the theme, “Policy Innovation for Our Times.” The two days will feature keynote appearances by voting rights...

News

Guaranteed income for entrepreneurs: U-M researchers to assess impact

Mar 5, 2024

One hundred Ann Arbor entrepreneurs, gig workers and other independent workers with low incomes have received their first two guaranteed income payments of $528 as part of the Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor pilot program.Payments started in...

Seefeldt and Emily Shupp Parker tabling outside for GIG A2

News

Ali Family Memorial Prize will recognize student written work in health policy

Feb 6, 2024

Starting this semester, Ford School students will have a new opportunity to earn recognition for their work in the field of health policy. The Ali Family Memorial Prize will be awarded annually to a Ford School student or group of students for...

Javed Ali's mother, father, his sister's family, his wife, and son in 2019 in Detroit, smiling and standing around a birthday cake.

Alumni spotlight

Lishaun Francis (MPP ‘09) on her journey into child advocacy

Nov 2, 2023

Upon graduating from the Ford School, Lishaun Francis (MPP ‘09) headed to DC to work as a Management and Program Analyst at the United States Department of Education (DoE). Although she felt she was making an impact on public education, working at...

News

Ford School announces 2023 Rebecca A. Copeland Fellows

Sep 6, 2023

The Ford School is proud to recognize Olivia Morris (MPP/MSW ‘25) and Jennie Scheerer (MPP/MPH ‘24) as the 2023 Rebecca A. Copeland Fellows. They were chosen for their commitment to public service and focus on promoting health equity. Morris and...

Portraits of Olivia Morris (left) and Jennie Scheerer (right)

News

New Michigan Medicine Program Seeks to Address Adolescent and Child Health-care Inequities

May 18, 2023

Michigan Medicine has launched a first-of-its-kind program designed to identify and address equity issues for young patients and their families receiving care at U-M Health, throughout Michigan and across the nation. The new Program for Equity in...

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

U-M Professor Amanda Kowalski Receives Econometrics Award

Apr 27, 2023

Health economist Amanda Kowalski, a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan and a faculty associate of the Population Studies Center and the Survey Research Center at the Institute for Social Research, received the...

News

Ford School named #4 public affairs program in the U.S. and #2 in key specialty areas

Apr 25, 2023

The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan is recognized again as one of America’s top graduate programs in public affairs, ranked 4th in the U.S. according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. The Ford...

Publication

Lantz, Michelmore & Pilkauskas celebrate 100 years of ‘The Milbank Quarterly’ with special issue

Apr 25, 2023

In celebration of its 100th anniversary, The Milbank Quarterly published “The Future of Population Health: Challenges and Opportunities,” a special issue of 36 articles by a diverse set of leading and emerging scholars. Edited by Paula Lantz, James...

Headshots of Paula Lantz, Katherine Michelmore, Natasha Pilkauskas

News

Mott Foundation intends grants to support direct payments to pregnant and first-year Flint mothers

Apr 20, 2023

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation intends to grant up to $15 million over three years to Michigan State University to support the launch of Rx Kids, an innovative initiative to provide direct cash payments to mothers in Flint during pregnancy and...

In the Media

Bednar critiques Florida Republicans' approach to 2024 elections

Apr 14, 2023 Sentinel & Enterprise

Jenna Bednar, Sentinel & Enterprise: "We had moderate voters crossing over what would be stereotypical party-line votes to support positions that they believe are the right policy choice for themselves and for their families. I don’t understand what...

News

Lantz warns of medicalization of public health

Mar 19, 2023

How does the medicalization of public health undermine effective community-based governance responses? Paula Lantz, James B. Hudak Professor of Health Policy, dove into this question on Ethics Talk, a podcast produced by the American Medical...