Blog
Welcome to the blog for Health & Medicine. Founded in 1981, we’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates as an independent, freestanding center driven by a singular mission: formulating health policy, advocacy and health systems to enhance the health of the public.
2018
Everything is Health: Health & Medicine’s Top Reads of 2018
December 21, 2018 Written By: Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG)Not to be left out ofthe year end “best of” lists, here are a few equity and justice related books and articles that Health & Medicine staff, board, and community have enjoyed reading in 2018
2018 Schweitzer Leadership Conference Recap from Evan Fry
November 30, 2018 Written By: Guest AuthorI received a lot of inquisitive looks when I told my dental school professors and friends that I would be missing afternoon clinics because I was traveling to Tulsa. “Why Tulsa, of all places?” was the typical question I would get in response. While I did attend college at the University of Oklahoma, Norman is on the other side of the state from Tulsa—in fact, I hadn’t spent any time in Tulsa besides driving through it to or from college. I’m very glad I had the opportunity to venture to Tulsa for the Schweitzer Leadership Summit, however, as I learned tremendously from those in the Schweitzer Fellows for Life (FFL) network and the Tulsa public health community.
2018 Schweitzer Leadership Conference Recap from Nyahne Bergeron
Written By: Guest AuthorDuring the weekend of November 2-4, 2018, Schweitzer Fellows and Fellows for Life (FFLs) from the groups across the U.S. convened in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the Schweitzer Leadership Conference. Before I reached the conference center, I felt the camaraderie from Fellows who were arriving from their respective cities at the Tulsa airport, looking forward to the weekend and excited about the activities ahead.
Highlights from the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting
November 19, 2018 Written By: Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG)We're pleased to share reflections and highlight from Health & Medicine staff who attended the meeting.
Grassroots. Trusted. Nimble. Read Margie Schaps’s Opening Remarks from the 2018 HMPRG Awards
November 1, 2018 Written By: Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG)Many thanks to all those who attended the 2018 HMPRG Awards Gala on Oct. 19th at the Chicago Cultural Center. We're pleased to share our Executive Director Margie Schap's remarks from the event.
Highlights from the Midwest ACEs Summit
October 15, 2018 Written By: Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG)The Healing Trauma, Healthy Communities Conference took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from September 26th to the 29th. Highlighting the trauma-informed work being conducted in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest, the conference brought together stakeholders from a variety of sectors including medicine, public health, the legal and justice system, and education. Keynote speakers included L. Song Richardson, Dean of the University of California at Irvine’s School of Law, who discussed implicit bias and how to address the trauma of systemic racism, and Rob Anda and Laura Porter, who presented on how ACEs education can lead to self-healing communities and empowerment.
We Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day—and Call for Recognition and Rectification of Historical Injustices
October 5, 2018 Written By: Wesley EpplinOn Monday, October 8, 2018, Health & Medicine will, for the first time, be closed in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. We invite you to join us in honoring and celebrating Native Peoples, Indigenous peoples, and First Nations of the Americas.
Action Opportunities to Influence Chicago’s Five-Year Housing Plan
August 30, 2018On August 27, 120 people attended the Chicago Forum for Justice in Health Policy: Housing Justice for Health Equity. We thank our co-sponsor, the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, and are glad this was the seventh forum organized by members of the Chicago Housing Justice League, of which Health & Medicine is a proud member. […]
Meet our Staff: Thank you to our summer interns!
August 29, 2018 Written By: Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG)This summer, Health & Medicine was fortunate to have four interns--(from left to right) Julia Morrison, Jared Cruz, Courtney Severin, and Grace Lee--supporting our work across a range of project areas from our Schweitzer Fellowship to Chicago AHEC and our ACEs programming. Thanks to all our interns for their great work!
Meet our Staff: Yuliana López
July 25, 2018 Written By: Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG)Yuliana López Yuliana joined Health & Medicine this summer as a Policy Research Analyst. She is a recent graduate of Middlebury College where she earned a degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry with a minor in Global Health.Yuliana’s achievements include being named a BOLD Women’s Leadership Network Scholar and a Hispanic Scholarship Fund Female Scholar […]
Chicago AHEC Visits the Hill
July 18, 2018 Written By: Rachel LacklandMy name is Rachel Lackland, the administrative assistant for Chicago Area Health Education Center (AHEC) and 2014 Chicago AHEC Internship Alumni Network member. Together with Health & Medicine’s Chicago AHEC team—Sharon Powell, Chicago AHEC Director and former Senior Policy Analyst, Tiffany Ford accompanied me as well—I had the opportunity to join ILAHEC at their NAO […]
Conclusion to Issue Brief Series: Criminalization of People of Color as a Barrier to Diversifying the Health Workforce
July 6, 2018 Written By: Chicago AHECChicago AHEC at Health & Medicine is pleased to share this issue brief series on Criminalization of People of Color as a Barrier to Diversifying the Health Workforce. Please read our introduction to the series below and our issue briefs. We will continue to update this page as briefs are released. Introduction Brief One: Disproportionate […]
Meet our Staff: Madison Hammett and Tiffany N. Ford
June 29, 2018 Written By: Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG)Madison Hammett, MPH, MSW Meet our newest staff member, Madison Hammett, Policy Analyst for the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative. Madison joins Health & Medicine from Stroger Hospital of Cook County where she worked as a social worker for the Department of Trauma providing psychoeducation and support to adolescent survivors of trauma. She is also a […]
What is Juneteenth? Links, Resources, and Local Celebrations
June 6, 2018 Written By: Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG)This year, for the first time in our organization’s history, Health & Medicine is celebrating Juneteenth. Here, we’ve complied some links and resources about the significance of this holiday. If you don’t already, we hope that you or your organization will consider joining us in honoring this important day. What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth is the […]
Juneteenth is African American Independence Day and it’s past time that we celebrate it
Written By: Tiffany N FordFor the first time in the organization’s history, Health & Medicine Policy Research Group will be celebrating Juneteenth, a day regarded as the oldest national celebration of African American liberation in the United States. I’m not sure that I can fully describe how valued this decision makes me feel as a Black employee of the organization, […]
Members of the ACEs Collaborative Participate in National Convening
May 15, 2018 Written By: Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG)On April 25th and 26th, Director of the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative (the Collaborative), Lara Altman, attended the Center for Health Care Strategies’ Advancing Trauma-Informed Care convening in New York City. Advancing Trauma-Informed Care is a national initiative led by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and its goal […]
Event Spotlight: The Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative Welcomes Norwegian Delegation
April 10, 2018 Written By: Lara AltmanOn April 6, 2018 the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health – Region 5 hosted Shared Learning in ACEs, Trauma, and Trauma-Informed Approaches from Norway and Illinois, a day-long summit that brought together a delegation of Norwegian government officials, Chicagoland […]
Schweitzer Fellow Spotlight: Cuidate Project Connects Families with Nature and Healthy Lifestyles
March 28, 2018 Written By: Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG)2017-18 Chicago Schweitzer Fellow Maryclaret Ndubuisi-Obi, a student from DePaul University School of Nursing, epitomizes the spirit of the Fellowship through her dedication to service and commitment to health equity. For her Fellowship project, Maryclaret partnered with Roberti Community House (RCH), a community center that serves a distressed neighborhood in Waukegan, where she worked to improve the […]
Learnings from Organizations that are Addressing Trauma
February 14, 2018 Written By: Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG)Augmenting a larger 2016 Environmental Scan conducted by Health & Medicine’s Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative, in 2018 we set out to offer a more in-depth snapshot of organizations working to address trauma. The resulting report–Learnings from Organizations that are Addressing Trauma–-is based on an additional round of 27 interviews included five organizations that were part of […]
ACEs Policy Recommendations at a Glance
January 17, 2018 Written By: Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG)Earlier this month, the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative released three revised policy briefs on the impact of ACEs in the health, justice, and education systems including promising practices and recommended actions for change. These briefs were developed by members of the Collaborative—system leaders in Illinois who are working from an ACEs-informed lens to improve systems to prevent and mitigate […]
