News
Center for Health and Wellbeing Announces First U.S. Health Policy Scholars
The Center for Health and Wellbeing (CHW) at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs has selected the first three U.S. Health Policy Scholars. The scholars, all Princeton juniors, will receive financial support for travel and research to pursue internships and senior thesis research that relate to U.S. health policy.
The health policy scholars program is an initiative as part of the Center for Health and Wellbeing’s Program on U.S. Health Policy. Launched in 2012 to support activities in domestic health care and health policy, key elements of the include: seed grants to support innovative faculty research, conferences and policy forums, workshops for members of the media covering health policy, and graduate and undergraduate research/internship grants.
“I congratulate these three outstanding students -- the inaugural group of health policy scholars under this exciting new Program on U.S. Health Policy,” said Woodrow Wilson School Dean Cecilia Rouse. “Health care reform – from reducing costs to increasing services – is one of the major challenges confronting our nation. In providing these scholarships we are enabling these students to be on the front lines in addressing these critical issues.”
The 2013 inaugural class of U.S. Health Policy Scholars are:
Elektra Alivisatos ’14, an anthropology major pursuing a certificate in global health and health policy. She will investigate how U.S. public school lunches affect childhood nutrition and health;
Danielle Kutasov ’14, an economics major who is pursuing a certificate in global health and health policy. She intends to study system inefficiencies relating to urban academic medical centers that are located in or near low-income neighborhoods; and
Matthew Vengalil ’14, a psychology major pursuing a certificate in neuroscience. With his research he seeks to explore optimal program design for HIV interventions aimed at young men who have sex with men (yMSM).
Under the new scholarship program, each year up to five juniors will be selected through a rigorous application and selection process focusing on both academic performance and plans for work and research on health policy issues. The Scholars are supported by the program through their junior and senior years with financial support and individualized guidance to engage in health-related internships or independent research on U.S. health policy in the summer before their senior year. They are also expected to write senior theses on topics in U.S. health policy. The Scholars are also invited to participate in planning health policy seminars and lectures, and will have the opportunity to interact with distinguished speakers during their campus visits.