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Doctor's Desk

HEALTHCARE POLICY CENTER

About:

This year, our analysts tackled the already perplexing issue of healthcare in the middle of a global pandemic. They delved into a wide range of topics with an equally wide range of perspectives and solutions: Asna Tabassum sought to increase the quality of health for patients with English as a second language by reviving the California Health Literacy Initiative, while Avni Aggrawal argued for adequate translation services and public healthcare options to cater to Asian Americans in the Bay Area specifically. Dory Barkhordarzadeh, after seeing her fellow students’ stress compounded by a pandemic, decided to explore how USC itself could implement policies to promote mental health in such chaotic times. Maggie Tewksbury also focused on the youth mental health crisis, a bit farther away, when she proposed that the City of Chicago increase funding for school-based health centers and better integrate mental health professionals to public systems. Jay Krishnakumar worked to fight the ongoing attempts to repeal key pillars of the ACA in California by proposing a better alternative, and Tori Brookings zeroed in on her hometown of Bakersfield and urged the installation of a Portland Loo public bathroom to aid Kern County’s homeless population. As Environment and Health Policy researchers, they kept in mind the influence of one’s environment (whether it be the public school system of Chicago or a hospital filled with foreign words) on one’s health, and worked to craft policies that would benefit the health of communities while factoring in their environment.

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Analysts

Yuna Jeong (Director)

Asna Tabassum

Avni Aggrawal

Dory Barkhordarzadeh

Jay Krishnakumar

Maggie Tewksbury

Tori Brookings

Past Projects: 

Curbing Obesity Amongst Vulnerable Communities: Subsidies and Price Caps on Healthy Foods

 

Coming out of the (Nursing Home) Closet: Securing Equality for Aging LGBT Adults in California

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Planting Seeds Towards Healthy Eating Habits: Widespread Integration of Edible Gardens in Title 1 LA Elementary Schools

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