COVID-19 pandemic changes to healthcare and health policy

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on major shifts in healthcare and health policy. The Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine is bringing together experts to discuss the acceleration of partnerships during the pandemic and new opportunities for a post-pandemic world at a virtual Health and Science Policy Research Day on Tuesday, May 4.

The event aims to examine how industry, governments and communities are working together during the pandemic and what lies ahead. Four panel sessions throughout the day will address topics like how to use health plan data to improve overall population health, how to build partnerships between healthcare organizations and community groups and how academic medical centers should respond to healthcare challenges. It will include participants from Baylor College of Medicine, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, the University of Houston College of Medicine, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, Episcopal Health Foundation, Harris Health System, Aetna Better Health of Texas and Arcadia.

Former Assistant Secretary of Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dr. Brett Giroir will join the keynote panel to discuss his time in government and what he learned during the COVID-19 pandemic as a key member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force in 2020.

“The critical role of collaboration and partnerships in healthcare has been brought to the forefront by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Amy McGuire, Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy. “This event will ask provocative questions and share lessons learned across sectors, with the goal of sustaining momentum, helping us emerge stronger and engaging more people to act as a catalyst for change.”

The event will be hosted on Zoom from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register and see the full event program here.