The Heller School for Social Policy and Management
Institute on Healthcare Systems

News Archive

Fall 2025

Stuart Altman, Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy and Co-Director, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy and Research

Remembering Stuart Altman.

We are deeply saddened to share that Professor Stuart H. Altman passed away on January 1st, 2026.

Since 1977, Professor Altman championed Heller and Brandeis in roles including Executive Co-Director of the Schneider Institutes and Professor of National Health Policy. He was a nationally recognized policy leader and a mentor to hundreds of students. The Stuart Altman Chair in Health Policy and an endowed fellowship will help celebrate his legacy.

Massachusetts Health Policy Student Forum Connects Future Policy Leaders With Legislators, Officials in Boston.

At the January 2026 Massachusetts Health Policy Student Forum, graduate students from across the state met with policymakers at the Statehouse, Department of Public Health, and Health Policy Commission in Boston. Speakers and panelists offered students their insight into how leaders in the field think about the legislative process, lobbying and advocacy, policymaking informed by social determinants of health, and more.

Undergraduate Researchers Drive Policy Insights Through Atkins Heller Fellowship.
As part of the 2025 Atkins Fellows Program, Drs. Karen Donelan and Rajan Sonik welcomed undergraduate researchers to participate in projects that engaged them in multiple aspects of the research process. Under Dr. Donelan’s guidance, Toby Lipson ’26  gathered and analyzed data on caregiver wellbeing for the Supporting Practices in Respecting Elders study. As part of Dr. Sonik’s team, Sydney Duncan ’25 examined state social policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Massachusetts Health Policy Forum convenes at UMass Amherst to discuss "Impacts of Medicaid Cuts on Western Massachusetts."
On October 28th, IHS researchers joined local and state policymakers and advocates at UMass Amherst to unpack the effects of drastic recent federal changes to Medicaid on communities in Western Massachusetts.

2025 Princeton Conference Explores "Navigating Uncertainty" in Health Policy.
The 32nd Annual Princeton Conference opened on November 5 with a keynote by Dr. John McDonough of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who shared findings from his forthcoming book, America’s Wrong Turn: U.S. Healthcare in the Neoliberal Era. Sessions throughout the weekend examined key challenges in U.S. health care, including affordability, public health infrastructure, Medicare and Medicaid, employer-sponsored insurance, and the future of care delivery.

IHS Hosts Brandeis Forum on Long-Term Supports and Services.

At Brandeis' Shapiro Campus Center on September 29th, community members who use LTSS joined forces with local and national experts to spotlight opportunities for policy change at a half-day forum event. The program was made possible by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation.

Cynthia Tschampl and colleagues contribute to Health Affairs special issue on the opioid crisis.
In its September 2025 issue, Health Affairs published "Key Informant Perspectives on Pharmacy Bases Methadone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder In The US," the first of three planned papers based on research by PIs Cynthia A. Tschampl (IHS) and Traci Greene (IBH).

Karen Donelan offers healthcare workforce insights at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
On September 16th, 2025, Professor Karen Donelan, Stuart H. Altman Chair in U.S. Health Policy and Schneider Institute Co-Director, joined Beth Israel and Tufts Medicine workforce executives on a Chan School of Public Health panel to shed light on the future of the healthcare workforce.