Teaching & Mentoring
The transformative power of teaching is a central tenet of my professional commitments and contributions. Teaching – in a classroom, in trainings and programs, and in one-on-one settings – is an extraordinary opportunity for empowerment and connection. Equity and justice are values that guide my dedication to building skills that allow my students to elevate their own voices, engage effectively in policy dialogue, and develop their capacity for leadership in the field of public health. I take a skills-based approach of interactive learning and professional collaboration with students and learners, and my teaching and advising are integrated with my research, leadership, policy engagement, and other professional activities. Every time I teach, I gain insights from others that shape how I do my work.
In my teaching, training, and mentoring on health policy, I aim to:
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Introduce and describe the policy environment that influences and shapes individual life trajectories and community and population health,
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Enhance understanding of the historical and political context of health policy,
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Develop strategies for analyzing health policy issues, and
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Build skills to communicate effectively in the policy environment.
In 2021, I designed and launched Project REACH (Rural Experts Advancing Community Health), a nationally unique community-engaged rural public health leadership and advocacy program that engages diverse community leaders in rural Minnesota. The program emphasizes the need for grassroots leaders to be equipped with evidence and empowered with confidence and skills to advocate for their communities, speaking truth to power and translating research into action. Project REACH alumni have gone on to testify before the state legislature, draft local and federal policies, begin doctoral studies, and run for elected office, increasing the presence of diverse rural voices in policy spaces. We have written and published a Community-Centered Policy Impact Toolkit, drawn from the teaching materials I’ve developed. This toolkit forms the basis of the Project REACH curriculum, and the strategies outlined may be broadly useful to those aiming to influence policy and improve local health and well-being.
Teaching Outcomes and Accomplishments
I am proud to offer courses that teach talented students, trainees, and practitioners the practical skills they need to successfully engage and influence health care policy, including:
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Experience with carefully and clearly defining a public health policy problem
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Familiarity with the political aspects of the health policy process
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Effective written and oral communication with policymakers
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Writing an issue brief to communicate the magnitude, significance, and urgency of a policy problem to a policy audience
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Delivering an elevator speech to demonstrate brief, persuasive speaking
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Writing an Op/Ed with an appropriately targeted policy message
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Writing a policy proposal that analyzes potential solutions to complex health policy challenges and presents a clearly-justified recommendation to a policy audience
