Undergraduate certificate in health policy

Hi there, I’m Mary Michaud. I teach health policy at the La Follette School of Public Affairs. I also advise students in the certificate in health policy, and I’d love to share with you the requirements for the certificate in health policy along with what you might do with the certificate.

So with all the other requirements you have to complete, why might you want to study health policy at this point?

One, you and your patients will navigate a very complex system, and having a good understanding beyond the basics of sort of what you learn on the job will come in really handy. Specifically, understanding the economic context of healthcare will take you far.

You’ll also learn to evaluate evidence that we use to support choosing among policy options. So, the set of approaches can be useful at multiple levels: at the clinic or organizational level, as an advocate for change at the state level, or even locally in someone’s community.

So there are four three-credit courses required to complete the certificate. The first: Public Affairs 201. That’s a course that I teach in the spring. It’s also offered in the fall by Christine Durrance, who’s a health economist. This offers a broad foundational understanding of health policy in the United States. You’ll learn about access, including the types of private and public insurance coverage, why people are uninsured, and why they’re underinsured. You’ll also learn about the ways payment incentives influence medical care decisions. You’ll learn about reforms intended to improve access. We cover a piece about improving access to pharmaceuticals, for example. What are the reforms that are taking place to limit price inflation on pharmaceuticals that make them inaccessible to so many people? We’ll also take some time to understand how the U.S. healthcare system and policy really differ quite a lot from other countries.

In Public Affairs 281, you’ll build an understanding of how to evaluate distinct types of evidence used in health policy. What’s the difference between causation and association? What types of study designs offer us sound evidence to make decisions in policy.

Then you get to choose among a long list of specialization courses, and those you can see in the guide. I’ll talk about one in particular next. I’ll also take some time in a few minutes to talk about the applied experience requirement.

So, the most common questions we get are about the requirement for an applied experience. Let me walk you through some of the options we have for completing this applied experience. The first is to find an internship that is health policy related. We provide a curated list of internships that students apply for, interview for, and sometimes are selected for, often, and sometimes not. But then, and once they find an internship, they enroll in Public Affairs 327. This can happen any term–fall, spring, summer–and the course that goes along with it is held remotely and asynchronously. So all online you keep up with discussions during the week. It’s not a heavy load in terms of a three-credit course. We understand that people are working, and we find that our students really get a lot out of these internships in terms of practical experience and exposure to policy. If you have questions about that internship, our Career Services Director Marie Koko, K-O-K-O, is available to talk to anybody about that.

The second possibility is spending a semester or a summer in Washington, D.C. through the Wisconsin in Washington program. It comes with an internship built in, so if somebody does enroll in that program, it automatically fulfills our applied experience requirement for the health policy certificate. The next possibility is Legal Studies 473, The Health Effects of Unmet Social Needs. Sorry, it’s a little blocked by the camera. Also known as the Community Resource Navigator Program, students work with patients in the community to help them connect to resources they may need to stay healthy. And then the final option reserved for seniors who have packed schedules is Public Affairs 274. I also teach that; it’s a workshop in health policy, and it’s client based. I’m teaching that now with a group of 24 seniors.

So, if you’re interested in declaring the certificate in health policy, you should have Sophomore standing in terms of credits. You should register for, or have already taken, or currently be in one of the required courses. And you’ll be able to submit an application for the certificate between May 1st and the 31st. Or, if you want to wait until after August 31st, you can simply declare through a form at the La Follette School website, and we’ll admit people on a rolling basis.

If you need any more information, I encourage you to consult the Guide and look at the information for the certificate in health policy. Here’s my e-mail address, and then if you go to the lafollette.wisc.edu website, you should be able to navigate toward our undergraduate programs. We also have a 12-credit option for a certificate in public policy.

Thanks so much.