MADISON, WI (September 7, 2022) — Join the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) and faculty from UW-Madison’s Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs to explore research associated with public policy initiatives in the upcoming state and national elections. The panel discussion will feature Collins-Bascom Professor of Public Affairs and director of the La Follette School Susan Webb Yackee; Richard A. Easterlin Professor of Economics, Population Health Sciences, and Public Affairs Barbara Wolfe; and associate professor of public affairs Christine Durrance. The panel will be moderated by La Follette School outreach director Lisa Ellinger, and a Q & A session will follow.
WAA will also honor Milwaukee mayor Cavalier Johnson with the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s Forward Award, for his dedication to public service.
About the panelists:
Christine Durrance is an applied microeconomist concentrating in health economics and policy. Her work includes a focus on maternal, infant, and reproductive health; risky behavior such as substance use and violence; and the legal and policy environment. Prior to joining the La Follette School in 2020, she served for 13 years on the faculty of the Department of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Her research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including Health Services Research, Contemporary Economic Policy, JAMA Pediatrics, and the American Journal of Health Economics.
Lisa Ellinger is the La Follette School’s outreach director, a new role funded by the Kohl Initiative. Ellinger oversees a team of outreach, legislative policy, and communications professionals who develop and implement a wide range of public programs and activities as well as engagement opportunities for state lawmakers. She also works closely with La Follette School faculty members to develop programming that allows them to communicate their research and teaching to a broad audience. Ellinger previously served as vice president of public policy for the Wisconsin Hospital Association. Ellinger has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science and a master’s degree in public affairs, all from UW–Madison.
Barbara Wolfe is the Richard A. Easterlin Professor of Economics, Population Health Sciences, and Public Affairs and a faculty affiliate at the Institute for Research on Poverty. Her research focuses broadly on poverty and health issues. Wolfe’s recent articles have appeared in the Journal of Public Economics, the Journal of Human Resources, the International Journal of Health Care Finance and Economics, the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Economic Inquiry, the Journal of Health Economics, and Demography. She received her doctorate in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Susan Webb Yackee is a Collins-Bascom Professor of Public Affairs and the director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Her research and teaching interests include the U.S. public policymaking process, public management, regulation, administrative law, and interest group politics. Yackee has published articles in several journals, including the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Politics, Public Administration Review, the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, the British Journal of Political Science, and the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. She worked as a legislative research assistant in the U.S. Senate before beginning her academic training.
More details:
When: Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022
5-8 p.m. CDT
Where: Milwaukee Public Market, second floor
400 N. Water Street
Milwaukee, WI
Cost: Free to attend, though registration is required as space is limited. Click here to register.
