Public health and social work in the political process

I recently returned to Washington University after a yearlong stint as the American Public Health Association’s Public Health Fellow in Government in Washington D.C. While there, I worked as congressional staff for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York). This fellowship offered a chance-of-a-lifetime opportunity to work directly on federal policymaking. While challenging, scary, and sometimes even comical, this experience was […]

Drug pricing: Where do we go after the election?

Martin Shkreli. Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Mylan. Just a year ago, most Americans devoted little time and attention to the question of pharmaceutical pricing. Now, after a series of highly publicized scandals involving individuals and companies who hike the prices of products like the EpiPen or Daraprim with impunity, public awareness of these issues has dramatically increased […]

Why policy* is the perfect fit for public health and social work professionals

Written by Susan Stepleton PhD, chair of the policy specialization at the Brown School When I mention to someone that I work at the Brown School, a typical assumption – voiced or unvoiced – is “Oh, you teach about poverty or epidemiology or child welfare or LGBTQ issues or homelessness.” Well, yes, of course we […]