School’s first La Follette Forum will be devoted to health policy

Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, will give the opening keynote address March 2 at the inaugural La Follette Forum, held by the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW–Madison.

Nearly 400 policymakers, community leaders, and researchers from across the state are expected to participate in the conference, which will be devoted to health policy.

“We are committed to serving as a convener of thoughtful and respectful conversation around the most critical issues facing our state and nation,” says La Follette School director and Professor Susan Webb Yackee. “Working together, I am confident that we can build on the outstanding work already happening to improve the health of people in our communities.”

Attendees at the daylong conference at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center also will have the opportunity to participate in panel discussions on the following topics:

• Healthcare Coverage and Access: Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and Patient Awareness
• Caring for an Aging Population: Quality, Workforce, and the Patient Experience
• Consumer-Driven Healthcare: Impacts and Engaging Patients and Families
• Personalized Medicine: Innovation, Implications, and Access
• Societal Determinants of Health: New Models of Partnerships in Housing
• Strategies for Rural Communities: Collaborations to Strengthen Health

Mia Keeys, director of health equity policy and advocacy in the American Medical Association’s Center for Health Equity, will give the closing keynote at 3 p.m.

Throughout the day, participants will have several networking opportunities, including lunch and a closing reception at 4 p.m.

The La Follette Forum on Health Policy is funded by the Kohl Initiative, a $10 million gift to the La Follette School from former U.S. Senator Herb Kohl. The Kohl Initiative also supports influential research by faculty and students as well as the training of future public leaders.