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Health Care Policy

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is a leader in medical research, making countless advances each year in a variety of specialty areas. But few advancements come without obstacles. Both the research and clinical practice sectors of the health care continuum face many substantial issues daily. Among the most common of today's health care issues are: medical ethics, malpractice, disparities in care, rising costs, workplace safety, and workforce shortages.
These issues affect not only scientists and physicians, but also the hundreds of millions of Americans who seek medical treatment each year. Practically everyone is a patient at some point in his or her life, so issues of health care policy are universal. Whether as a patient or as a friend or relative of one, Americans' lives are touched by health care policy and its associated issues on a regular basis.
Lists of WUSTL health care policy experts and subtopics can be found below and throughout the links from this page. For more information or to arrange an interview with an expert, contact Joni Westerhouse at (314) 286-0120 or Debra Caruso at (212) 907-0051.
Areas of Interest
| Faculty Experts: |
Showing Health Care Policy Experts 1 through 5 of 18.
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Ross Brownson
 Professor

A leading expert in chronic disease prevention and an expert in the area of applied epidemiology, Ross Brownson is regarded as one of the great intellectual, educational, and practice leaders in the field of evidence-based public health.

Expertise: Chronic disease prevention, evidence-based public health, policy effects on physical activity and obesity

Direct contact: 314-362-9641
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rbrownson@wustl.edu

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Debra Haire-Joshu
 Professor314-362-9554

Debra Haire-Joshu is an internationally renowned scholar of health behavior who develops population wide interventions to reduce obesity and prevent diabetes, particularly among underserved youth.

Expertise: Health policy, obesity and diabetes prevention in underserved populations, public health

Direct contact: 314-362-9554
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djoshu@wustl.edu

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Matthew Kreuter
 Professor

Matt Kreuter is a leading national public health expert in the field of health communications.

Expertise: Health communication, cancer prevention and control, health disparities

Direct contact: 314-935-3701
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mkreuter@wustl.edu

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Timothy McBride
 Associate Dean for Public Health

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| McBride |
Tim McBride has been active in testifying before Congress and consulting with important policy constituencies on Medicare, insurance and rural health policy issues. He is a member of the Rural Policy Research Institute Health Panel that provides expert advice on rural health issues to the U.S. Congress ...

Expertise: Health insurance, universal health care, public health, Medicare policy, health economics, gerontology and Social Security, state health policy, …

Direct contact: 314-935-4356
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tmcbride@wustl.edu

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William Peck
 Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Medicine

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| William Peck |
Peck, former dean of the School of Medicine, directs the University's Center for Health Policy. Revolutionary scientific advances promise great improvements in the prevention and diagnosis of disease and the treatment of patients. But major obstacles must be overcome before this enormous potential ...

Expertise: Health care policy, health care costs, disparities in access to care, workforce issues

Media assistance: (314) 286-0120 / westerhousej@wustl.edu

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Showing Health Care Policy Experts 1 through 5 of 18.
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| News Stories & Tip Sheets: |
Showing Health Care Policy Stories 1 through 3 of 86.
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Future of U.S. health care
 Health economist and leading policy expert believes health reform legislation will pass in '09

June 23,
2009 -- The United States has attempted to pass major health reform legislation eight times in the last century, starting in the mid 1910s up through 1993-94 with the failed Clinton health reform effort. "Only once in that period was any legislation passed — in 1964-65 when Medicare and Medicaid were passed," says Timothy McBride, Ph.D., associate dean of public health at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. "Yet, for many reasons, I feel that it is much more likely that legislation will pass this year." At this point, McBride believes that President Obama has the political support necessary to make health reform happen, and he has made it his top domestic priority. McBride has been active in testifying before Congress and consulting with important policy constituencies on Medicare, insurance and health policy issues. He is a member of the Rural Policy Research Institute Health Panel that provides expert advice on rural health issues to the U.S. Congress and other policymakers.

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It's OK, Notre Dame
 Catholic leadership divided over Obama's Notre Dame speech, expert suggests

May 16,
2009 --
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| Frank Flinn |
Notre Dame University's decision to invite President Obama to deliver the university's commencement address on Sunday has sparked strong protests from groups who disagree with Obama's stand on abortion and stem cell research. Despite condemnation of Obama's speech by a number of prominent American bishops, the Vatican may be more interested in moderation and conciliation in its dealings with Obama, suggests Frank K. Flinn, a close observer of religious politics and author of the Encyclopedia of Catholicism (2007).

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Seguro Popular
 Mexico's health insurance success offers lessons for U.S. reforms, Lancet study suggests

April 8,
2009 --
As America considers major healthcare reforms, it may have lessons to learn from Seguro Popular, Mexico's ambitious plan to improve healthcare for its estimated 50 million uninsured citizens, suggests Ryan Moore, co-author of a new evaluation of the program. Conducted through a partnership of Mexican health officials and researchers from leading American universities, the study offers a model U.S. policymakers might use to scientifically explore solutions to America's own looming healthcare crisis.

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Showing Health Care Policy Stories 1 through 3 of 86.
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Are Medical Residents Worked Too Hard?
Time.com

May 26,
2009 -- There has been much hand-wringing over the dangers of medical residents' grueling schedules. One recent study advised that a solution would be to reduce the length of their shifts. But many in the medical community, including residents themselves, worry that shorter shifts could come at the expense of educational opportunities and possibly even patient safety. Includes comments by WUSTL Department of Medicine chairman Kenneth Polonsky.

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Perfectly Happy
The Boston Globe

May 12,
2009 -- The new science of measuring happiness has transformed self-help. Now scholars suggest it could transform society — from tort law to urban planning to medical care. WUSTL law professors Samuel Bagenstos and Margo Schlanger co-wrote a law review article in 2007 suggesting that the emphasis on lost enjoyment of life in jury awards actually makes it harder for the plaintiff to recover.

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Fulfilling a father's dream
CNN Newsroom (national)

Feb. 11,
2009 -- Two Kenyan brothers are in this country studying to be doctors. They are also fulfilling their father's dream of building a clinic in their remote home village to fight AIDS, the disease that killed both of their parents. Milton Ochieng is a resident at WUSTL's medical school. Fred is at Vanderbilt.

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With annual prostate cancer screening, new cases are less advanced
Reuters Health Medical News

Jan. 2,
2009 -- The largest prostate cancer screening program in U.S. history is showing high compliance and consistent results. The authors, led by Dr. Gerald L. Andriole at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, found that after the third annual follow-up round, compliance with screening had decreased only slightly, to 85%, from 89% at baseline.

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X-Rays, sunshine: Could radiation be hurting your health?
CNN.com/health

June 3,
2008 -- So how much radiation is too much? Scientists are still figuring that out-- and they tend to disagree about the risks. But they recently found worrying signs that radiation exposure is on the rise, thanks largely to the popularity of high-tech medical exams such as CT scans. WUSTL radiology professor Henry Royal comments on the benefits and risks of tests and treatments.

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