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CHRT recently welcomed Ben Case, a health policy analyst on the health policy team. Ben’s work focuses on applied health policy research, evidence synthesis, and program evaluation, and this year he is managing the CHRT Health Policy fellowship. We talked with Ben about his path to CHRT, his projects, and what makes the fellowship such a unique opportunity.

Tell us a bit about your background.

“I grew up in Ann Arbor. I was interested in medicine, but I’m more of a big-picture systems thinker, and public health spoke to that. After college, I spent a year in Nicaragua working in global health. In collaboration with our partner communities, I worked to bring together local health officials, health care professionals, students, and funders to improve access to health care and improve public health infrastructure.

After earning my MPH, I did research for about 10 years in hearing science, disability health, and later in child care subsidy policy. Then I spent five years with County Health Rankings & Roadmaps on What Works for Health. I evaluated the evidence base behind the policies, programs and systems that shape how long and how well we live and wrote plain language summaries for a broad audience of leaders that advance our health. We also developed a health equity analysis to provide a summary of the impact of these policies, programs and systems on disparities in health and related factors.”

What attracted you to CHRT?

“I first heard about CHRT from a family member who had engaged with CHRT’s Health Policy team and their community paramedicine work. They have done really great work in community paramedicine and it’s a really interesting nexus of people. I’d spent so much time evaluating what works for health (that was literally our team’s name) that CHRT felt like the next step, implementing and leveraging evidence to create impact in communities.”

What are you working on at CHRT?

“It’s a mix. Right now I am helping write legislative education briefs on topics like health care affordability, to provide for state legislators as they prepare to vote on related policy. I’ve helped write statewide rules and regulations for community paramedicine, a growing healthcare workforce in the state of Michigan. Soon I’ll start work on evaluating long-term services and supports (LTSS) for older adults and people with disabilities. 

A big part of my role is coordinating the fellowship. I’m a people person, and it matches what I love to do: connecting people, learning together, and applying that work to see the change we want in our communities.”

What excites you most about the fellowship?

“Alumni tell me it’s a unique opportunity to put aside some of the partisanship we experience in society today and really see each other’s perspectives. There’s a lot more that we share and agree on than there is that we don’t.

The fellowship is about breaking down silos that exist between the legislative process, the research process, and nonprofit organizations. For example, the research fellows learn the skills to more effectively communicate with policymakers. Nonprofit fellows add a vital community voice to research and policy. This year we’re starting a new partnership with Wallace House at the University of Michigan, a center focused on journalism. A couple of their journalist fellows will join us. Media engagement is so important to this work, so I think they’ll add a really nice dimension too.

The agenda also tailors itself to what’s happening now. For example, with the changes to Medicaid, it’s a unique opportunity that the fellows will get to hear directly from Michigan’s Medicaid director. These conversations help everyone have a little more understanding for each other and to identify ways to work together.

Most of all, I’m excited to see the connections people make. So many great people have reached out, and they are all wonderful people doing important work in our state. Alumni say in-person connection is one of the fellowship’s greatest benefits, and I can’t wait to see that come together.”

Apply by November 14

Applications for the CHRT fellowship close November 14. Learn more and apply at https://chrt.org/fellowships/apply/.

Questions? Contact Ben at [email protected].