THE 2010-11 WINSTON HEALTH POLICY FELLOWS
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Catherine Oakar
A recipient of the Winston Health Policy Scholarship, Catherine is a 2003 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and received her Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan in May 2010. She brings a wealth of experience to the fellowship, including work with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of HIV/Aids Policy, the HHS Office of the Secretary/Office of Public Health & Science and the World Health Organization’s Department of Reproductive Health & Research.
During her time at Michigan, Catherine conducted research related to enhancing the efficiency of safety net organizations such free clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a research associate in community-based research and focused mainly on cancer survivors, cancer caregivers and hypertensive patients. Catherine has numerous publications and presentations stemming from these research efforts. Her diverse research experiences have helped cultivate her interest in the field of health policy. Working at the community, national and global levels has given her a strong sense of how health policies affect individuals at the ground level, which, she feels, will be invaluable in her work in the field.
Of her selection as a Fellow, Catherine says: “I am truly honored and thrilled to be a Winston Fellow. What an amazing opportunity this is, and I look forward to soaking up every ounce of the experience and learning about the many nuances of the policy process.”
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Erin Richardson
Erin graduated from Wellesley College in 2003 and will receive her J.D. from Columbia University in May of 2010. Before law school, she spent two years as a paralegal working on family law, medical malpractice, and workers' compensation cases. Erin also received a Master's Degree in Bioethics from Case Western Reserve University, which is where she began to cultivate her interest in health policy. Her coursework explored problems at the intersection of medicine, law, politics, and economics, and clinical rotations at three hospitals enabled her to observe how policy solutions affect direct patient care. Her bioethics studies culminated in a thesis on organ donation and brain death, followed by a year of post-graduate research on the potential impact of genetic enhancements.
During her time at Columbia, Erin has continued to study health policy through classes, summer employment, and volunteer activities. One of her favorite volunteer experiences has been helping the New York Correctional Association successfully lobby for a bill that requires the NY State Department of Health to oversee and monitor HIV and Hepatitis C care in prisons. She also volunteers at Mt. Sinai Hospital, where she provides legal information to individuals interested in designating a heath care proxy or creating an advanced directive. In March, Erin will attend the "Healthcare and Law" conference at Waseda Law School in Tokyo, Japan where she is helping to prepare a presentation on the use of alternative dispute resolution to settle medical malpractice lawsuits.
The Winston Fellowship is truly a unique opportunity to combine my passions for health policy and law at the national level and I am honored to represent the Fellowship in 2010-11.
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