As the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates systemic inequalities and strains public programs, four Stanford University faculty members will spend next year working to advance solutions to current societal problems. I plan to work for a government or community-based organization in the next few years.
Faculty members participate in the Scholars in Service program, sponsored by the Stanford Impact Institute and the Haas Center for Public Service, which provides funding and support for up to one year of full-time service. Starting this summer, faculty will work closely with policymakers, advocates, and community leaders to identify and promote practical, evidence-based ways to advance issues ranging from local to national. I’ll go.
- Anisha PatelThe associate professor of pediatrics will work with community organizations to strengthen programs that provide access to healthy foods to children and their families in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
- susan carmichaelThe professor of pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology will work with the Louisiana Department of Public Health to identify strategies to reduce maternal mortality rates, especially for black mothers in Louisiana.
- Ira LittAn associate professor of education, he works in the office of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, focusing on education and economic policy to inform federal legislation to promote justice and equity for families. I will be working for.
- Gopi Shah GowdaA senior fellow and deputy director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), he will serve on the White House Council of Economic Advisers, focusing on federal policy related to long-term care, retirement, and social insurance programs.
Reducing food insecurity among Latino children in California’s San Joaquin Valley
Food insecurity is associated with poorer health and learning abilities in children, making the San Joaquin Valley one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the entire state.
Anisha Patel, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Gardner Packard Children’s Health Center, works with the Cultiva La Salud Foundation and Dolores, two community-based organizations serving Latino immigrant families in the San Joaquin Valley.・We will cooperate with the Huerta Foundation. Their goal is to give children more access to healthy and appealing foods.
Patel, interns at Stanford University, colleagues at the Nutrition Policy Institute, and staff from both organizations are working with parents in six school districts to help families access school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. identified barriers faced by Next year, the team plans to build on this research to investigate how school meals can more effectively address food insecurity.
They use a research process known as photovoice. The process involves parents photographing meals and participating in focus groups to identify interventions that districts can adopt to make meals more appealing and nutritious. This process helps community members document their experiences, identify solutions and interventions to test, and advocate for change.
“To advance our understanding of evidence-based strategies to increase participation in school meal programs known to promote student health and learning,” Patel said, “Cultiva la Salud and Dolores Huerta We are very grateful for this opportunity to partner with the Foundation,” as California recently became the first state in the nation to permanently provide free school meals to all K-12 public school students. , this project is timely. ”
Reducing maternal mortality rates in Louisiana, especially for black mothers
Women in the United States are more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than in any high-income country in the world. While maternal mortality rates have declined in most other high-income countries, maternal mortality rates in the United States have consistently increased over the past 30 years, with significant disparities by race and wealth. Maternal health in Louisiana is among the worst in the country, and black mothers are more than twice as likely to die as other mothers.
Susan Carmichael, a perinatal and nutritional epidemiologist and professor of pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University School of Medicine, is an expert in the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative (LaPQC), a program of the Louisiana Department of Public Health, and We plan to work with advocacy groups. Their goal is to reduce maternal mortality rates in Louisiana, especially for Black mothers.
Her team will study the structural and social factors that are the root causes of maternal mortality and conditions that put pregnant women at risk of death, known as severe maternal mortality. They plan to develop methods to integrate structural and social determinants into case reviews of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity and to identify prevention strategies. Additionally, Carmichael will volunteer with her partners in her LaPQC community to help guide approaches to informing research.
“This is an opportunity to break out of academic silos and start building relationships and experiences that will help us do more relevant and impactful research. The goal is to improve maternal health and equity. It’s about finding ways to strengthen connections between communities, care providers, and research that lead to better outcomes,” Carmichael said.
Supporting equity and justice in federal education and economic legislation
With 50.7 million children attending public schools in the United States each year, federal policy can play an important role in closing the educational opportunity gap and ensuring the current and future well-being of young people and communities. Masu.
Ira Litt, an associate professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE), will serve as a senior policy fellow in the office of Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) through Scholars in Service. She Litt will focus on equity and justice for youth and families in education, economic policy, and the law.
In this role, he will leverage his work as faculty director of the Stanford Teacher Education Program and faculty co-leader of GSE initiatives. Learning differences and the future of special education Utilize research results for policy and political communication.
“While the pandemic has highlighted the value of educators and education to our society, it has also exposed deep, long-standing inequalities in our education system and the general welfare system for young people and families. We have a unique opportunity to rethink and advance policies that can promote more just and inclusive opportunities for our nation’s youth and families,” Litt said. “I look forward to offering my expertise in the analysis and synthesis of educational and other social science research to my colleagues in the Senate Office and helping to identify promising practices in this regard. I am also confident that I will be able to learn and grow significantly in ways that will help shape and inform my future work at Stanford.”
Focus on social insurance programs for older Americans with the White House Council of Economic Advisers
Programs like Social Security and Medicare, which millions of Americans rely on for well-being as they age, are facing increasing financial burdens due to demographic changes such as longer lifespans and fewer births. facing. The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to accelerate the depletion of Social Security and Medicare trust funds as more people rely on public insurance programs due to job losses and health shocks.
Gopi Shah Gowda, a senior fellow and deputy director at SIEPR, will serve as a senior economist on President Biden’s White House Council of Economic Advisers. She will focus on policy proposals related to long-term care and health care, including social insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Mr. Goda will work with the Council to advise the President on economic policy based on data, research and evidence.
Professor Goda said, “I am very pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to policy discussions in a meaningful way and to take what I have learned back to enrich my research and teaching.”
Program goals
The goal of the Scholars in Service program is for faculty to work closely with government agencies and community organizations, leveraging their research expertise and providing relevant support for implementation as organizations address some of society’s most complex social problems. The aim is to provide first-hand experience of the challenges faced. The faculty member will serve from her first quarter through her first academic year and will contribute to her host organization in a way that enhances scholarship.
“Through the Scholars in Service program, Stanford faculty bring analytical rigor to partnerships with external leaders who create and implement policy solutions, manage programs, and advocate for change. , faculty can learn directly from experts working on the front lines, generating new evidence-based insights and approaches that have the potential to improve the lives and well-being of people in their communities and across the country. ,” said Jeremy Weinstein, professor of political science and chair of the Stanford Impact Lab.