Journal of Science Policy & Governance
​Volume 19, Issue 01 | November 01, 2021

Policy Memo: Applying Health in All Policies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Amina Maamouri (1), Nova Tebbe (2), Chris Unterberger (3)
  1. University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health, MD/MPH Program, Madison, WI
  2. University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health and La Follette School of Public Affairs, MPH-MPA Dual Degree Program, Madison, WI
  3. University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, Madison, WI

Corresponding author: [email protected]
Keywords: health in all policies; COVID-19; health impact assessment; public health; university governance; health equity; collaboration​
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​​https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG190107

Executive Summary

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s (UW-Madison) response to the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates how prioritizing health in campus policies is necessary to achieve better health, educational, and workforce outcomes. COVID-19 cases increased on campus as students attended in-person classes at the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year, though dampened as the university ramped up protective measures. Harm may have been prevented had proactive and analytical approaches to policy making, which are foundational to a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach, been implemented sooner. Specifically, comprehensive and rapid Health Impact Assessments could enhance university leadership’s ability to mitigate the negative effects of existing and future policies. Here, we recognize the COVID-19 pandemic as a justifiable catalyst for implementing a HiAP approach in UW-Madison policymaking. We recommend that the university establish a HiAP subcommittee within the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement. This action standardizes the use of tools essential to HiAP across campus while limiting the demand on existing university committees and other administrative offices.

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Background header image contains elements from CDC.gov edited by Saheel Mehta via Canva
​Amina Maamouri (she/her) is a Medical and Master of Public Health student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is passionate about advancing health equity in Wisconsin using social change strategies such as multi-sector coalitions, community organizing, and advocacy. Amina is a founding member of Wisconsin Advocates for Public Health where she encourages student and professional engagement, supports knowledge and skill development, and collaborates in advocating for public health and equity. In her future clinical practice, she aims to improve individual health while working with patients to build community power and address upstream social, political, and commercial determinants of health.
 
Nova Tebbe (she/her) is a dual-degree Master of Public Health and Master of Public Affairs and an Energy Analysis and Policy Certificate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She works as a policy analyst for Dr. Jonathan Patz focusing on climate change, health, and equity on the state, national, and international levels. Nova is a member of Wisconsin Advocates for Public Health where she designs communication deliverables and advocates for environmental justice on a system-level.  
 
Chris Unterberger is a PhD candidate in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where his research focuses on investigating the role of growth hormone in prostate and mammary cancer. He is the co-president of UW-Madison’s Catalysts for Science Policy (CaSP) and chairs the Grants & Finance Committee of the National Science Policy Network. He writes science-focused articles for the Adams-Friendship Times-Reporter in his hometown in Wisconsin and contributes to policy memos written for state legislators through CaSP’s Wisconsin Science & Technology Advisors initiative.

References

  1. CDC. 2020. “Community, Work, and School.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 11, 2020. https://www.appleton.org/home/showpublisheddocument/22076/636830684765200000.
  2. Common Council of the City of Appleton, Timothy Hanna, and Kami Lynch. 2017. An Ordinance Creating Article V of Chapter 7 of the Municipal Code of the City of Appleton, Relating to Health in All Policies. https://www.appleton.org/home/showpublisheddocument/22076/636830684765200000.
  3. Gottlieb, Laura, Susan Egerter, and Paula Braveman. 2011. Health Impact Assessment: A Tool for Promoting Health in All Policies. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (May 1, 2011).
  4. Evers, Tony. 2021. “State of Wisconsin Budget in Brief.” 2021-2023 Executive Budget. Wisconsin Department of Administration, February 2021. https://doa.wi.gov/budget/SBO/2021-23%20Budget%20in%20Brief.pdf.
  5. Hall, Richard L., and Peter D. Jacobson. 2018. “Examining Whether the Health-In-All-Policies Approach Promotes Health Equity.” Health Affairs 37, no. 3: 364–70. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1292.
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  8. Rudolph, L., Caplan, J., Ben-Moshe, K., & Dillon, L. 2013. Health in All Policies: A Guide for State and Local Governments. Washington, DC and Oakland, CA: American Public Health Association and Public Health Institute.
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