Last month, several School of Public Health (SPH) students boarded a Green Line train and headed to the Minnesota State Capitol to meet legislators, attend committee hearings, and get a firsthand look at how politics and public health intersect. Spearheaded by the SPH Student Senate (SPHSS), the SPH Day at the Capitol was meant to give students an opportunity to see for themselves how the practice of public health is increasingly impacted by legislative action.

According to Kara Cowell (Maternal and Child Health MPH, ‘26), who helped organize the event, the idea came from students across SPH. “We had a lot of interest from students who wanted to get more involved and more comfortable in legislative spaces,” Cowell said. “The Student Senate heard from students who have taken policy classes but haven’t been to the legislature, and from students who’ve been to the Capitol but didn’t feel like they fully understood what was happening there. So, we designed this day so that students can better engage with the political process and feel more comfortable and empowered being in those spaces.”

Those sentiments reflect a broader reality: public health is increasingly shaped by political decisions. From vaccine policy and pandemic response measures to reproductive rights and the effects of climate change, many of the most pressing public health issues are being debated and decided by federal and state lawmakers across the country.

Cowell said the shift towards greater politicization of public health has been impossible to ignore during her time at SPH. “I’ve had course readings that were taken down by the CDC, and seen funding for projects I’ve worked on impacted by federal action,” she said. “So by learning how to engage with the legislative process, we can take some control back to try and make sure that our field is staying evidence-informed.”

Jordan Addison (Maternal and Child Health MPH, ‘26) echoed this idea, saying her understanding of the political landscape has evolved quickly in her time studying maternal and child health. “Policy and legislative advocacy wasn’t something that I necessarily went into this program thinking about or wanting to get involved in,” she said. “But by the end of my first semester, it became very clear very quickly how dependent public health in general is on those types of processes.”

At the State Capitol

The day’s agenda was designed to give students both a broad overview and a deeper look at how public health policy takes shape. After arriving at the Capitol, students participated in a range of activities, including a guided tour and a lunchtime panel featuring professionals working at the intersection of policy and public health, among them representatives from the Minnesota Department of Health, a staff member focused on legislative research, and a nonprofit leader. In the afternoon, students split up to observe committee hearings on topics ranging from healthcare and public safety to education and economic development, then reconvened for a meeting with legislators.

Asked about a particular highlight of the day, Addison pointed to the experience of simply being in the Capitol during the legislative session. “The atmosphere stood out immediately,” she said. “I feel like that energy was so contagious. Just being able to walk in there and see all of the moving parts was so exciting.” Another co-organizer and attendee, Victoria Condon (Public Health Administration & Policy MPH, ‘27), said the most memorable moment came when she stepped into a committee hearing for the first time. “In class, you learn about how an idea becomes a bill, but to actually be in the room seeing these processes happen, my mind was blown,” she said. “I could have been there all day just watching the whole process—it was truly inspiring.”

Cowell and Addison will graduate this spring, but Condon said there are already plans to bring the event back next year and build on the momentum from this first outing. Cowell, meanwhile, said she hopes to stay involved as an alum and sees an opportunity to expand the event by tapping into SPH’s broader alumni network. With so many SPH graduates working in policy, government, and advocacy roles, she said, future iterations of the event could connect students even more directly with SPH graduates working to navigate the intersection of public health and politics.

Photo credit: Chris Cooper