CUIMC Election Forum Tackles Health Policy Issues
Columbia University Irving Medical Center hosted the CUIMC Election Forum last month to help educate the community about important health-related issues at stake in the upcoming presidential election. Hosted by the Office of Government Affairs, the forum featured a panel of three speakers who are experts in policy and politics: Gustavo Rivera, New York State senator, Danielle Turnipseed, chief public policy officer at the Association of American Medical Colleges, and Thomas Barker, who is a partner in the law firm of Foley Hoag, former general counsel of the United States Department of Health and Human Services under Pres. George W. Bush, and an adjunct professor of law and public health at George Washington University. Television producer Inara De Leon served as the moderator.
After welcoming remarks by Linda Fried, dean of the Mailman School of Public Health, and an overview of the election landscape by Ross Frommer, vice president for government affairs, the panelists discussed what they believe are the most important health issues in this election. The question-and-answer session was kicked off by four CUIMC students: Sydney Gray from the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Kayla Diggs from the Mailman School of Public Health, Stacey Gouker from the School of Nursing, and Christine Park from the College of Dental Medicine, after which members of the audience joined in.
“Being a student panelist at the election forum gave me the opportunity to ask knowledgeable individuals about pertinent health policy issues,” Gouker said. “I learned the importance of health policy from several classes at Columbia, and it was exciting to hear directly from those who impact health policy in our country. The forum was a great way to educate the Columbia community on this subject before next month's election."
The CUIMC Election Forum was made possible by generous donations from Marc Grodman (VP&S ’74) and John W. Rowe. Both are faculty members at CUIMC and members of the VP&S board of advisors.
“The forum was a great way to bring the many issues in health care together for discussion,” Turnipseed said. “I was personally impressed that public health, nursing, medicine, and dental programs were represented. Hopefully, [these students] will remain interested in politics and may even decide to pursue careers in public service.”
Columbia has teamed up with Turbo Vote as a way to make sure that all students, faculty, and staff have the tools they need to make a plan to vote. Although the next CUIMC Election Forum will not be until 2028, the Office of Government Affairs will continue to host events where the CUIMC community can learn about and discuss important health policy issues.