LSU Health Med Students Get Firsthand Health Policy Experience

The second class of Summer Health Policy Fellows at LSU Health New Orleans received certificates of completion at a recent on-campus luncheon sponsored by AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana.

The six LSU Health New Orleans medical students - Emilie Bourgeois, Grayson Pool, Joseph Grace, Bryan Cass, Trevor Flynn and William Kemp - spent about two months in Washington, DC, in the offices of Senator Bill Cassidy, MD, and Representative Steve Scalise, as well as at the US House Doctor’s Caucus, National Academy for State Health Policy, Delta Regional Authority and the Congressional Research Service. They researched topics from a policy perspective that included health reform, Children's Health Insurance Program re-authorization, opioid policy, Emergency Department utilization, state prescription drug pricing models and Delta region health issues.

"This unique program was created, in part, to develop the policy skills of future health care leaders educated in the state," noted Peggy Honoré, DHA, the AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana Endowed Professor at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health and fellowship program director. "It is designed to enhance the student's understanding about the contribution of public health to improving health outcomes through policy. Another major goal is to provide LSU Health New Orleans medical students with knowledge that they can use to better understand the context in which health care is delivered and the health of the population is improved. This knowledge can serve as a catalyst to position them well as future health care leaders in the state and beyond."

The fellowship program was funded by a gift from AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana to the LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health. Its goal is to provide LSU Health New Orleans medical students with working knowledge of health policy at all stages - research and analysis, advocacy, development and implementation.

Recruitment for the 2018 Health Policy Fellowship Program is already underway.