Policy

handicap_logo_cracks

Disability justice in public health

Kara Mannor

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act was just a first step in a journey toward equity for disabled communities. PhD student and disability advocate Kara Mannor describes how the disability justice movement can help institutions rethink a better future for research and health for people with disabilities.

Two cows graze in a pasture on a sunny day with no clouds.

How public health can fight the climate crisis

Trish Fisher

Trish Fisher, a dual degree Master of Public Policy and Master of Public Health student, details her research on agricultural methane policy and the role that public health can play in championing strategies to support climate change mitigation.

Dr. Julio Frenk, MPH, PhD, President of the University of Miami, Florida

Leadership to Inspire Global Change

Julio Frenk, MPH ’81, PhD ’83

Julio Frenk’s career has oscillated between health care and higher education. He currently serves as President of the University of Miami and for six years served as Mexico’s Secretary of Health. Whether in the academy or in policymaking, the unifying theme to that career, Frenk says, has been trying to give back through service.

Tonya Allen, President of the McKnight Foundation, alum of the University of Michigan School of Public Health

Resilient Leadership in a Dynamic World

Tonya Allen, BA '94, MPH/MSW '96

From rewriting rules to enabling others to succeed, Tonya Allen thinks leadership is not about an individual person doing a great thing but about an environment where everyone wins. In Detroit and now Minneapolis, Allen keeps putting herself out there so that entire communities can thrive.

Public health worker in Africa distributing vaccines

Is Africa Truly Free of Wild Polio?

Utibe Effiong, MPH ’14 and Uju Okeke

Without a case on the continent for several years, the World Health Organization declared Africa free of wild polio in 2020. But questions remain about the ability to reach remote areas for vaccination programs and for disease surveillance as well as questions around the security of infectious agents held in labs for research.