The Department of Health Policy and Management at the Rollins School of Public Health has launched the HPM Scholars program. This new effort brings together former federal, state, and local public health leaders to share their expertise and create new opportunities for collaboration with faculty and students.
The first-of-its-kind initiative at Rollins launched in July and was inspired by efforts to stay connected to the broader public health community—particularly those who have recently transitioned out of federal roles at the Department of Health and Human Services. It connects the real-world experience of these practitioners with Rollins’ academic community—creating opportunities for mentorship, guest lectures, research collaboration, policy and community partnerships, and more.
“We started this program because we know that here in Atlanta, we’re surrounded by an extraordinary network of experienced public health professionals—including many former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leaders—who have a great deal to offer,” says Stephen Patrick, MD, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management. “This program provides a formal way to bring those voices into our academic community—supporting teaching, mentorship, and research in flexible and meaningful ways.”
The 16 HPM Scholars have core expertise in fields including health policy, public health administration, health services research, public health law, health economics and financing, maternal and child health, and behavioral and mental health policy. The program emphasizes mentorship, education, and guidance for students based on decades of public health experience in these fields on topics including emerging trends and health policy innovation, public health careers, and lessons learned from past and current public health practice.
This initiative comes at a particularly important time for the field of public health. HPM Scholar Michael Warren, MD, notes that, “Connecting with the next generation of public health leaders and learning from them is essential as we all navigate this unprecedented time of change in public health. There is great opportunity: opportunity to share lessons learned (and failures) from the past, opportunity to tap into the creativity and energy of a new cohort of leaders, and an opportunity to support one another as we all navigate these times and chart a new path forward.”
The HPM Scholars will host a number of events for the Rollins community during the academic year, including their inaugural Policy & Practice Forum on Monday, October 27. This panel discussion with former CDC and Health Resources and Services Administration leaders will tackle the implications of recent federal changes to maternal and child health policy.
Visit the HPM Scholars web page to stay connected and learn more about upcoming events.
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