Law & Policy

Sarah Hooper '18 hosted a podcast from the University of California Hastings College of the Law highlighting how the law itself is a critical social determinant of health. Episodes included implicit bias as a cause of maternal mortality, the school-to-prison pipeline and more.

On the face of it, a speedy asylum process for displaced people seems like a good thing for the U.S. Still, Medha D. Makhlouf ’20 and Zeina Saliba ’18 wrote that while it’s well-intentioned, it can be the hardest for those who have experienced the worst trauma. They outline ways to reform the process, including trauma-informed practices.

Daniel Mistak ’23 provides policy guidance to federal and state stakeholders to improve care for systems-involved people. The Inmate Exclusion Project explores how inmate exclusion limits collaboration between health and justice systems and how Medicaid can assist in developing safety net systems that improve access and quality, thus lowering cost.

Carla Ventura ’17 sought to understand and explore the health needs and barriers of women released from prisons in the interior of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Results showed that socioeconomic challenges significantly affected the social reintegration process of women who left prison. The goal is to develop new health interventions in the Brazilian context.