By Anna Miller
Paula Lantz used to think that a career in academia meant a life disconnected from “the real world.” As a graduate student working full time as an epidemiologist for a state health department, she imagined a future engaged in public policy research and a job at a think tank or a government agency like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But today Dr. Lantz, the new chair of the Department of Health Policy in the School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), no longer denies the allure of the ivory tower. In fact, she now sees academia – and GW – as the epicenter of change.
“I am motivated by the idea of evidence-based policy,” she said, “and GW is well-positioned to interact with the architects of policy and to rapidly translate research into health policy and practice.”
Dr. Lantz joined the SPHHS faculty last month after 17 years at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, where she most recently served as chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy, the S.J. Axelrod Collegiate Professor of Health Management and Policy and a professor of public policy.
Prior to her career at Michigan, which began when she was awarded a Robert Wood Johnson Scholars in Health Policy Research fellowship, Dr. Lantz earned a master’s degree in sociology from Washington University in St. Louis and both a master’s degree in epidemiology and a doctorate in social demography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She points to the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s as the agent that initially sparked her interest in the social determinants of health.
Dr. Lantz not only has significant experience conducting research in some of today’s most relevant areas of health policy– specifically, the role of public health in health care reform, clinical preventive services like cancer screening and prenatal care and health disparities – but she also has watched her findings effect change in the field.
One of her proudest accomplishments, she said, was contributing to the development of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000. Before the act, many underserved women who were diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer or precancerous conditions through a government-sponsored program were not connected to follow-up care or financially supported during treatment. The act, which was influenced by research conducted by Dr. Lantz and her colleagues, expanded treatment options for these women.
“For those of us who went into research because we wanted to make the world a better place, there is nothing more satisfying than watching an organization, government agency or legislature make a positive change that is based upon your work,” she said.
Another highly rewarding aspect of her job is the teaching – an art Dr. Lantz said is as much about gaining knowledge as it is dispensing it.
“I love teaching graduate students,” she said. “You can’t just lecture at them – they don’t learn like that. Adult learners constantly challenge you to create a lively environment in which everyone can learn from each other.”
In the classroom, Dr. Lantz is a zealot for writing, analytic and professional skills. She stresses that effective communication among academia, community organizations, providers and policymakers is critical in the dynamic field of health policy. At GW, her courses focus on policy analysis methods and the role of policy analysis in executive decision making and strategy.
As department chair, Dr. Lantz hopes to increase health policy scholarship, strengthen ties with alumni and enhance networks with the city’s community and government organizations.
“I want us to become known as the number one place to study health policy in the nation,” she said.
Outside of the classroom, Dr. Lantz is becoming quickly and happily acquainted with Washington, D.C. – a city farther east and south than anywhere else she has lived. After trading her house in Ann Arbor for an urban apartment and her car for a pair of sneakers, Dr. Lantz hit the ground running – literally. Just eight days into her new job, she had already enjoyed morning jogs to Arlington Cemetery, toured nearly the entire city on foot and spontaneously caught up with former students at the local farmers market.
“It’s exciting to live and work in a new environment with new colleagues and new students, fresh challenges and amazing opportunities,” she said.
Dr. Lantz is the second chair of the health policy department, which was founded and previously chaired by Sara Rosenbaum. Ms. Rosenbaum continues to teach and conduct research at SPHHS, where she serves as the Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor of Health Law. She also holds appointments in GW’s Law School and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
“Everyone in the health policy world knows Sara Rosenbaum,” said Dr. Lantz. “It is humbling to follow in her footsteps, and I look forward to working with her and all of the other incredibly accomplished faculty in this department.”