About
Heather A. McCabe is an Associate Professor at the Indiana University School of Social Work with a secondary appointment as Assistant Professor of Social Work and Law at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. She also serves as adjunct professor atthe Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. She holds a BA in Psychology and English from Indiana University – Bloomington, an MSW from Indiana University School of Social Work, and a JD from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Research Interests
Professor McCabe’s research is done at the intersection of law, social work, and public health. Her research translates complex legal issues and research findings across multiple professions to make the information accessible for use by practitioners and advocates in improving population health. Current projects examine the impact of policy on the LGBTQ community. She has an appointment as a Visiting Scholar with the CDC Public Health Law Program where she is leading a legal epidemiology project examining laws in the 50 states which impact LGBTQ health. She has published in traditional academic journals and has also been sought by media to explain core issues of public health policy. Professor McCabe serves on the Executive Board of the American Public Health Association.
Teaching Interests
Macro Social Work, Policy, Public Health Law, Harm Reduction, LGBTQ Health Inequities
Awards and Honors
- Interdisciplinary Group Award
2019 - National Academies of Practice - Excellence in Service to Intersectional Council
2018 - American Public Health Association - Glenn W. Irwin Jr. M.D., Experience Excellence Award
2015 - IUPUI - IUPUI Trustees Teaching Award
2014 - IUPUI
Publications
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McCabe, H. A. (2020). SOCIAL WORK AS AN IMPORTANT COLLABORATOR IN TRANSDISCIPLINARY PUBLIC HEALTH LAW: WHY DOES IT MATTER AND WHERE DOES IT FIT?. In Saint Louis University Law Review.
Law review articles differ from traditional peer reviewed journals. They are in two formats, submitted and invited. When invited, the author receives an invitation to present the paper at a law review symposium at the affiliated university and then submits the article on the topic. Though different than the submission process, the symposium process generally seeks to invite people who are national experts or those who are doing innovative work in the field of law in their area of expertise. This article was a part of a symposium process at St. Louis University.
Abstract:
Public health law has been a growing field over the last few decades. From the early days of its initial recognition as an academic and professional field to its more recent texts and treatises, public health law is continuing to define itself. To that end, Burris et al. recently published two works describing a transdisciplinary model of public health law and five essential services of public health law.
This article examines how the inclusion of social work in the model can be instrumental in forming better public health laws. The intentional inclusion of social work collaborators would supplement legal and public health expertise with expertise to meaningfully engage the community in law and policy development, implementation, and enforcement. Three areas specifically can be impacted by this engagement: (1) giving the community a voice in designing public health interventions in a way that increases buy-in; (2) using community organizing expertise to assist in getting evidence-based legal interventions with realistic enforcement mechanisms enacted into law at the local, state, or federal level; and (3) assisting in data collection for policy surveillance components by bringing in on-the-ground experts. -
McCabe, H. A. (2019). Health Inequities in the LGBTQ Population. Creighton Law Review, 52(4), 427-450. View Publication For Health Inequities in the LGBTQ Population
Law review articles differ from traditional peer reviewed journals. They are in two formats, submitted and invited. When invited, the author receives an invitation to present the paper at a law review symposium at the affiliated university and then submits the article on the topic. Though different than the submission process, the symposium process generally seeks to invite people who are national experts or those who are doing innovative work in the field of law in their area of expertise. This article was a part of a symposium process at Creighton University.
Abstract:
When the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
(“ODPHP”) released its Healthy People 2020 goals and objectives, it
recognized the public health needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (“LGBT”) community for the first time. The stated goal
of Healthy People 2020 is to “improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of [LGBT] individuals.” One barrier to obtaining the needed information for achieving this goal is a lack of necessary data collection, particularly as it regards the LGBTQ+ community. This paper will provide a basic overview of health inequities experienced by the LGBTQ+ community and introduce interventions of interest to the legal and public health communities. -
Brown, T., B, B., McCabe, H. A., Iachini, A., Bronstein, L., & Mellin, E. (2018). Healthcare.
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Larimer, S. G., Sullivan, W. P., Wahler, B., & McCabe, H. A. (2018). No More Silos: Animating Integrated Health and Behavioral Health Care Practices in the Classroom. JOURNAL OF TEACHING IN SOCIAL WORK, 38(4), 363-378. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2018.1503216
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McCabe, H. A., Kinney, M. K., Quiring, S. Q., & Jerolimov, D. (2017). Expanding the Base: A Case for Increased Interprofessional Collaboration in Public Health Law and Policy. In Indiana Health Law Review (Vols. 14, Issue 1, pp. 97-111). https://doi.org/10.18060/3911.0030
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McCabe, H. A., Hylton, M. E., Kooreman, H. E., Mellinger, M. S., & Day, A. (2017). Civic Literacy and Social Work Education: Results From a Multi-Site Study. JOURNAL OF POLICY PRACTICE, 16(1), 81-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/15588742.2015.1137852
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McCabe, H. A. (2016). Seminar in Public Health Law and Policy in an Interprofessional Setting: Preparing Practitioners for Collaborative Practice at the Macro Level. JOURNAL OF LAW MEDICINE & ETHICS, 44, 56-61. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073110516644229
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McCabe, H. A., & Wahler, E. A. (2016). The Affordable Care Act, Substance Use Disorders, and Low-Income Clients: Implications for Social Work. SOCIAL WORK, 61(3), 227-233. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/sww030
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Sullivan, P. W., & McCabe, H. A. (2015). Reprise: Case Management in Substance Use Services in the Age of the Affordable Care Act. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE IN THE ADDICTIONS, 15(2), 185-199. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533256X.2015.1027447
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McCabe, H. A., & Sullivan, W. P. (2015). Social Work Expertise: An Overlooked Opportunity for Cutting-Edge System Design under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. HEALTH & SOCIAL WORK, 40(2), 155-157. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hlv005
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Neely-Barnes, S. L., McCabe, H. A., & Barnes, C. P. (2014). Seven Rules to Live by: Accommodations in Social Work Education and the Field. Journal of Social Work in Disability & Rehabilitation, 13(4), 279-296. https://doi.org/10.1080/1536710x.2014.961113
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McCabe, H. A., & Kennedy, S. S. (2014). Civic Identity, Civic Deficit: The Unanswered Questions. Journal of Civic Literacy, 1(1), 1-7. View Publication For Civic Identity, Civic Deficit: The Unanswered Questions
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McCabe, H. A. (2014). The Final Rule on Essential Health Benefits: Another Opportunity for Social Work Advocacy in Health Reform. In HEALTH & SOCIAL WORK (Vols. 39, Issues 2, pp. e21-e24). https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hlu013
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Eric, W. R., McCabe, H. A., & Harold, K. (2012). Institutional Capacity to Respond to the Ethical Challenges of Patient Sexual Expression in State Psychiatric Hospitals in the United States. Journal of Ethics in Mental Health, 7(1), 1-5. View Publication For Institutional Capacity to Respond to the Ethical Challenges of Patient Sexual Expression in State Psychiatric Hospitals in the United States
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McCabe, H. A., & Kinney, E. D. (2010). Medical Legal Partnerships: A Key Strategy for Addressing Social Determinants of Health. In JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE (Vols. 25, pp. S200-S201). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-010-1298-9
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Kinney, E. D., McCabe, H. A., Gilbert, A. L., & J, S. (2009). Altered Standards of Care for Health Care Providers in the Pandemic Influenza. In Indiana Health Law Review (Vols. 6, Issue 1, pp. 1-16). View Publication For Altered Standards of Care for Health Care Providers in the Pandemic Influenza
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Shen, X., Hackworth, J., McCabe, H. A., Lovett, L., Aumage, J., O’Neil, J., & Bull, M. J. (2006). Characteristics of Suicide from 1998–2001 in a Metropolitan Area. Death Studies, 30(9), 859-871. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481180600853074
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McCabe, H. A. Suicide in the LGBTQ Community: Policy as a Structural Determinants of Health and Driver of StigmaStigma. In Saint Louis University Journal of Health, Law, and Policy.
This is a law review article. The edition will be comprised of papers accepted for presentation at the 2020 AALS (Association of American Law Schools) Annual meeting. This paper concentrates on how policy can drive stigma and serve as structural determinant of health in the disproportional number of suicides in the LGBTQ community.
Law Review Symposia invite national experts in a given subject area and have them present a paper which is then published as a part of a law review edition. -
McCabe, H. A. Administrative Law.
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McCabe, H. A., & Kinney, K. LGBTQ Populations.
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McCabe, H. A. Transgender Health: The Court, Policy, and Other Structural Determinants of Health. In Indiana Health Law Review.
This law review article has been accepted for the spring edition of the Indiana Health Law Review based on a presentation for the health law symposium. Of note, the article must be a minimum of 32 pages. The article focuses on transgender health inequity and examines the role of recent policy changes and court rulings as structural deteriminants of health.
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McCabe, H. A. Commentary on Smith v. Rasmussen. Columbia University Press.
This book is part of a series which uses Feminist Legal Theory frameworks to re-write court cases. Following the court re-write another author with subject matter expertise provides commentary on the re-write using the framework. This volume uses feminist legal theory to re-write health law cases. My chapter examines the Smith v. Rasmussen case which denies Medicaid coverage of gender conforming surgery for a transgender man. The book will be out either summer of 2020 or fall 2020. The chapter has been written and accepted. It is undergoing revisions.
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Holley, L., Charles, J., Kondrat, D. C., & McCabe, H. A. Supports and Gatekeeping: Experiences of Administrators of Schools of Social Work with Students with Mental Health Conditions. Journal of Social Work Education. Accepted.
Some social work educators advocate for people with mental health conditions to become social workers because they may possess experiential knowledge and insights that equip them to help others achieve recovery goals. Educators also are tasked with gatekeeping, ensuring that students demonstrate social work competencies. Minimal research exists about how schools handle these dual responsibilities. Using an online survey of Deans/Directors and BSW and MSW Coordinators of CSWE-accredited programs, this mixed-methods study asked about programs’ (1) experiences with students with mental health conditions and (2) existing and needed policies and practices related to these students. Findings include that a large majority described problems experienced by students with mental health conditions; schools managed mental health-related issues in a variety of ways; most said these students have graduated using supports; about half indicated students had been terminated due to mental health-related issues; disruptive behaviors, absences, and boundary issues were key challenges; and some programs’ practices might violate the ADA/ADAA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, or FERPA. Student counseling, legal advice, and relationships with disability resource centers were desired resources. Implications include considerations for policies that are consistent with social work’s social justice mandate, federal laws, and our gatekeeping responsibilities.
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McCabe, H. A. Health Inequities in the LGBTQ Population. In Creighton Law Review.
Presentations
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McCabe, H. A. (2020). Health Disparities in the LGBTQ+ Community and the Implications for Inclusive Policy. Association of American Law Schools, Washington, DC, DC United States.
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McCabe, H. A. (2020). Policy Matters: State and Federal Policies Impacting LGBTQ Communities and Their Health. National Association of Social Workers - Indiana Chapter, Indianapolis, IN United States.
Social workers are experts in examining persons in their environment. Given the current landscape of public policies impacting the LGBTQ community, it is critical for social workers to understand the current policy environment. This presentation will discuss the law and examine how these laws impact the physical and behavioral health of the LGBTQ community
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McCabe, H. A. (2019). Transgender Health: The Court, Policy, and other Social Determinants of Health. Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN United States.
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McCabe, H. A. (2019). Transgender Rights in the Days of Changing Regulatory Interpretation: Where are We Now and What is Needed?. American Society of Law, Medicine, and Ethics, Chicago, IL United States.
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McCabe, H. A. (2019). Cannabis: Science and Policy. IU Program in Neuroscience, Bloomington, IN United States.
https://neuroscience.indiana.edu/news-events/brain-awareness-week.html
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McCabe, H. A. (2019). LGBTQIA Individuals, Health Inequities, and Policy Implications. Creighton Law School , Omaha, NE United States.
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Holley, L., Charles, J., Kondrat, D. C., & McCabe, H. A. (2019). Supports and Gatekeeping: Experiences of Administrators of Schools of Social Work with Students with Mental Health Conditions.
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McCabe, H. A. (2018). You want me to do what? Interprofessional Collaboration as a Public Health Policy Advocacy Tool in the Current Political Environment. St. Louis University Law School, St. Louis, MO United States.
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McCabe, H. A. (2017). Reviewing the Reviews: What are we Learning Through Interprofessional Education?. American Society of Law Medicine and Ethics, Atlanta, GA United States.
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McCabe, H. A. (2017). Here we go again: The ACA at the end of 2014. IUSOM, Indianapolis, IN United States.
Presented update on the ACA to a group of interprofessional students at the IUSOM
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McCabe, H. A. (2017). Health Reform 2017: Where are we now, where are we going?. ISP, St. Louis, MO United States.
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Cottingham, A., McCabe, H. A., Butler, D., Wagel, K., Betz, M., & McClanahan, J. M. (2017). Improving Care for Older Adults by Strengthening Interprofessional Teamwork. Indianpolis, Indiana, November 15, 2017.
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Wahler, B., & McCabe, H. A. (2016). The ACA and Low-Income Clients with Substance Use Disorders: Implications for Social Work Education. Council on Social Work Education, Atlanta, GA United States.
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McCabe, H. A. (2016). The Affordable Care Act in 2016: Tools for Social Work Advocacy in Implementation. APHA, Denver, CO United States.
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McCabe, H. A. (2016). Jay Healey Teaching Session. American Society for Law, Medicine, and Ethics, Boston, MA United States.
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McCabe, H. A. (2015). Advancing Collaborative Practice Models at the Systemic and Policy Levels: A Pilot Course with Law, Public Health, and Social Work.
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McCabe, H. A. (2015). Public Health Law Education: Seminar in Public Health Law & Other Campus Models Where does Law fit in?. American Society for Law, Medicine, and Ethics, St. Louis, MO United States.
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McCabe, H. A., Romito, L. M., & Jackson, R. D. (2014). Interprofessional Learning: A Case-Based Pilot. IUPUI, indianapolis, IN United States.
Contract Fellowship Grants
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Public Health Law Visiting Scholar
Heather McCabe -
Addictions Law and Policy Services, Surveillance, and Community Resilience Project
Co-PD/PI: Heather McCabe -
Indiana Interprofessional Geriatrics Education and Training Center, or Indiana IGETC
Co-PD/PI: Susan Larimer
Co-PD/PI: Adnan Arseven
Program Director (PD)/Principal Investigator (PI): Heather McCabe
Co-PD/PI: Susan Glassburn
Co-PD/PI: Andrea Pfeifle
Co-PD/PI: Margaret Adamek
Co-PD/PI: Debra Litzelman
Co-PD/PI: Susan McLennon
Co-PD/PI: Janet Fulton
Supporting Personnel: Glenda Westmoreland
Co-PD/PI: Kamal Wagle
Program Director (PD)/Principal Investigator (PI): Steven Counsell -
School Based Health Clinic Study
Heather McCabe -
Start up funds to establish a Macro Social Work Student Network (MSWSN) Chapter
Program Director (PD)/Principal Investigator (PI): Heather McCabe
Institutional Services
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Committee Member
2010 - IUSSWServe as a member of the MSW curriculum committee to examine and approve curriculum of the IUSSW. -
Committee Chair
2017 - IUSSWI Chaired the Search and Screen Committee as we searched for 3 tenure track positions at the IUSSW. -
Committee Chair
2011 - IUSMCo Chaired the self awareness and professionalism sub committee of the IUSM curriculum to work to infuse interprofessional into the curriculum of the Medical School as well as create linkages across the campus. -
Committee Member
2011 - IUSMWorked with the IUSM curriculum committee as a member of the interprofessional subcommittee. Worked to create linkages across campus and create additional infrastructure for interprofessional work.
Licensure
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Law License
Supreme Court of IndianaI am a licensed attorney in the state of Indiana.
Media Appearance
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Gallup: Uninsured at Lowest Point Since 2008
2014 - Al Jazeera America
Read the Story Gallup: Uninsured at Lowest Point Since 2008 -
IUPUI Professor says relax about ACA enrollment numbers
2014 - Lakeshore Public Media/NPR
Read the Story IUPUI Professor says relax about ACA enrollment numbers -
Confusion still hampers health insurance enrollment in Siouxland
2013 - Sioux City Journal
Read the Story Confusion still hampers health insurance enrollment in Siouxland -
Deepening red state blue state divide in health insurance enrollment numbers
2013 - NBC Latino
Read the Story Deepening red state blue state divide in health insurance enrollment numbers -
Federal data show health disparities among states
2013 - Huffington Post
Read the Story Federal data show health disparities among states -
Federal data show health disparities among states
2013 - Yahoo News
Read the Story Federal data show health disparities among states -
Health coverage disparities emerging among states embracing, rejecting federal health law
2013 - TMC.com
Read the Story Health coverage disparities emerging among states embracing, rejecting federal health law -
Red state blues? Data show health disparities among states
2013 - MSNBC
Read the Story Red state blues? Data show health disparities among states -
3500 Hoosiers Choose Exchange Plans in 2 Months
2013 - WSBT
Read the Story 3500 Hoosiers Choose Exchange Plans in 2 Months -
Extensive problems with Obamacare exchanges have caused delays, confusion in 36 states
2013 - CBS-DC
Read the Story Extensive problems with Obamacare exchanges have caused delays, confusion in 36 states -
Health overhaul supports hope confusion ends
2013 - WOWO
Read the Story Health overhaul supports hope confusion ends -
Crashes greet Hoosiers trying to shop for health insurance online
2013 - Fox 59
Read the Story Crashes greet Hoosiers trying to shop for health insurance online -
Enrollment opens in Indiana on federal health exchange
2013 - Indianapolis Business Journal
Read the Story Enrollment opens in Indiana on federal health exchange -
No Limits, Gun violence and gun control
2013 - WFYI
Read the Story No Limits, Gun violence and gun control -
Gun show exemption likely first target of Obama plan
2013 - USA Today
Read the Story Gun show exemption likely first target of Obama plan -
Implementing the Affordable Care Act
2012 - WFYI/WTIU
Read the Story Implementing the Affordable Care Act
Memberships
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American Public Health Association
2003 to Present -
Association of American Law Schools
to Present
Professional Services
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Reviewer, Grant Proposal
2019 to 2019 - Robert Wood Johnson FoundationInvited to be a reviewer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Research in Transforming Health and Health Care Systems grant program. Provided in depth review of grant application for the foundation.
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Committee Member
2018 to Present - Council on Social Work Education Macro Task ForceOn the Macro Task force committee working on the definition of social work.
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Board of Directors
2018 to 2022 - American Public Health AssociationServe on the Executive Board of the Leading Public Health Association in the World. Approximately 25,000 members with a 13,000 attendee annual conference. The budget is nearly $16million. I serve on the board with fiscal and governance responsibilities. it is a competitive national election process.
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Editorial Review Board Member
2017 to Present - Journal of Technology in Human ServicesEditorial Review Board member of Journal of Technology in Human Services, a peer reviewed journal
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Other
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Editor, Contributing
2017 to Present - Social WorkServe as a contributing editor to the professional peer reviewed journal Social Work
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Task Force Member
2017 to 2018 - Council on Social Work Education Macro Task ForcePart of the policy task force section to work on and design the Macro Specialization Curricular Guide which was released in Fall 2018
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Reviewer, Journal Article
2015 to Present - Social Work in Health CareReview articles for Social Work in Health Care
Trainings
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CDC Public Health Law Program Visiting Scholar
2019 to Present - Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, United StatesI was appointed a CDC Public Health Law Program Visiting Scholar to work with the program to develop a legal epidemiology project examining LGBTQ policies in the 50 states which may have an impact on health inequity. The project also aims to examine new ways to capture how law and policy may impact structural determinants of health.
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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Public Health Law Teaching Fellowship
2014 to 2016 - Indiana University/ Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Indianapolis, IN, United StatesThis fellowship was awarded to 10 faculty after a national search. I was the only person awarded who was not a member of a law or public health faculty. The fellowship spanned two years and provided access to experts and resources to lay out an agenda for the teaching of public health law across the country. I was able to provide information on how to include the social sciences, specifically social work, to increase the reach and efficacy of these projects and agendas
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Mid-America Public Health Leadership Institute Fellowship
2005 to 2005 - University of Illinois - Chicago,
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