The 2020 Virtual Fall Research Conference will be held online from November 11th to the 13th, under the theme Research Across the Policy Lifecycle: Formulation, Implementation, Evaluation and Back Again. We've tried to give you a brief explanation on the website, but context is more important than ever, so we're kicking off this series where leaders from the conference and APPAM will each tackle an aspect of how the theme connects to our reality.
Today, Dr. Tony Losasso, Professor and Driehaus Fellow in the Economics Department at the Driehaus College of Business at DePaul University and #2020APPAM Program Committee Health Policy Co-Chair talks about the connection to Public Health.
The sessions and papers on offer in the Health Policy Program of APPAM 2020 collectively provide deep insights into all aspects of the health care system, both within the US and internationally. The Health Policy Program meshes well with the overall theme of APPAM 2020 by incorporating exciting new data sources, cutting edge methodologies, and trenchant policy analysis. Attendees will find session topics ranging from maternal/infant health to health care for the elderly, and all points in between; health policies surrounding Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and the health care safety net; research findings on topical issues including drug pricing, racial disparities, and the ongoing pandemic, among many others. In addition, attendees will find sessions pushing the methodological frontier with respect to health policy evaluation. Health policy and the importance of insightful, non-partisan evaluation have taken on even greater urgency in the era of Covid-19. The pandemic represents a singular moment in history nationally and internationally that fundamentally highlights the strengths and weaknesses of current policies that support human health. The pandemic provides a moment of clarity for policy makers on how to improve data systems and policy initiatives where time is of the essence. It also provides a moment of clarity to the research community to think hard about how they can be part of solutions that can save lives. Join us at #2020APPAM!