GHHP 99

GHHP 99: Global Health and Health Policy Capstone introduces the fundamentals of research design and methods in global health and health policy, and assists students in developing research project, and crafting policy recommendations that can impact health care systems and public health. The course culminates in a policy paper that provides new insight into a contemporary health policy or global health issue.

GHHP 99 meets weekly in the spring and is primarily taught by graduate students from the PhD in Health Policy program.

Past Papers

2024-2025

^{A Generation In Suffering: Policy Recommendation to Address the Suicide Crisis Among Teens in South Korea}
^{Addressing Barriers in Healthcare for Spanish-speakers in California}
^{Addressing Black Maternal Mortality in Mississippi: Training Community Health Workers As Doulas}
^{Addressing Child Abuse in West Virginia: Earlier Deployment of Multidisciplinary Teams}
^{Addressing Delays in Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis in Ontario, Canada: A Policy Recommendation}
^{Addressing Postpartum Anxiety: The Need for Policy Change and Universal Screening}
^{Addressing Unmet Need for Postpartum Mental Health Treatment for Low-Income Birthing Persons in New York State}
^{Beyond Emergency Rooms: Sustainable Healthcare Delivery for Cambridge's Homeless Community}
^{Breaking the Drought: A Policy Recommendation to Develop Potable Water Piping Infrastructure in El Rodeo, El Salvador}
^{Bridging the Healthcare Gap Between Rural and Urban India: An Expansion on Telehealth Efforts}
^{Combating Misinformation to Improve Contraceptive Access in Louisiana}
^{Combating Teen Suicide in South Korea Through College Admissions Reform To Encourage Team Sports Participation in High School}
^{Combatting Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Against Rohingya Muslim Refugee Women and Girls in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh}
^{Cooling the Gap: Addressing Extreme Heat and Learning Inequity in Newark Public Schools}
^{Expanding Pharmacological PTSD Treatment Options for Veterans Within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)}
^{For Texans, By Texans: Addressing Insurance Gap Among Undocumented}
^{Implementing Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Protocol to Improve Cesarean Section}
^{Improving Health Insurance Literacy in Harvard College Students}
^{Improving Hypertensive Disorder Management for Black Mothers in the State of Louisiana}
^{Improving the Response to Oropouche virus in Ceara, Brazil}
^{Improving Victim Identification in Healthcare Settings: Integrating Human Trafficking Education into U.S. Medical School Curricula}
^{Increasing Lung Cancer Screening Rates Among the Eligible Population in California}
^{Increasing the Timely Utilization of Lifesaving Drugs: A Policy Recommendation to the Tanzanian Ministry of Health to Decrease the Rate of Death from Malaria in Tanzanian Children Under 5}
^{Inverting the Care Paradox: Expanding Doula Access Through Georgia Medicaid Reform}
^{Invisible Barriers: A Proposal to Reform Tobacco Cessation Policy for ADHD in Massachusetts}
^{Legalizing Psilocybin for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder to Combat the Broader Opioid Crisis in Massachusetts}
^{Mandating Health Insurance in Tanzania’s Informal Economy: A Mobile Money Approach}
^{Mending Mentorship: Improving Medical Compulsory Community Service (CCS) in South Africa through Preceptorship Initiatives}
^{Menstrual health mismanagement in Idaho corrections facilities}
^{Paving the Way Forward: A Policy Recommendation to Drive Down Road Traffic Mortality Among Young Men in the Dominican Repulic}
^{Policy recommendation to address mesothelioma among US firefighters}
^{Preventing Type 2 Diabetes in Hispanic Adults in North Carolina}
^{Reducing Maternal Mortality in Ghana by Earmarking Funds for Free Maternal Healthcare through an Alcohol Health Tax within the next 5 years}
^{Remembering to Breathe: Policy Recommendations to Improve Asthma Adherence and Treatment Outcomes in Uttar Pradesh, India}
^{Saving Somali Mothers: A Multifaceted Approach To Mitigate Disproportionally High Maternal Mortality Rates in Puntland, Somalia}
^{Securing California's Future: A Public Approach to Long-Term Care}
^{Self-Harm and Suicidality in the ‘Hole’: A Policy Proposal Addressing the Psychological Toll of Solitary Confinement in MADOC Facilities}
^{Standardized Screening and Trauma-Informed Training: A Dual Intervention to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence-Related Maternal and Neonatal Harm Among Pregnant Women in New York City}
^{Strengthening Salt Fluoridation Enforcement in Colombia: A Policy to Reduce Dental Caries in Rural Children}
^{Texas Medical Abortion Access Public Health Crisis}
^{The Decisions That are Made For Us: A Ban on Marketing to Children to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease in Colorado}
^{The Urgent Need For a Statewide Xylazine Test Strip Program in Massachusetts}
^{Using Economic Interventions to Improve Mental Health Outcomes for Undocumented Immigrants in the United States: Comparing Los Angeles, California and Phoenix, Arizona}

2023-2024

^{A Call to Action: Actors Must Increase Access to Malaria Prevention Resources for Pregnant Women in Nigeria’s Refugee}
^{A Policy Recommendation to Increase Access to Abortions in Texas Post-Dobbs}
^{"A Solution on the Move: Policy Recommendation to Lower the Burden on Access to Abortion}
^{Care for Women in Texas to Decrease Maternal Mortality"}
^{Addressing Delays in Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis in Ontario, Canada: A Policy Recommendation}
^{Addressing Pediatric Asthma Through MassHealth: A Policy Recommendation for Expanding Community Health Worker-led Asthma Home Visiting Program in Massachusetts}
^{Addressing the Caries Problem in Children Through an In-School Toothbrushing Program in Pittsburgh Public Schools}
^{Addressing Unmet Need for Postpartum Mental Health Treatment for Low-Income Birthing Persons in New York State}
^{Bordering on Health: Reproductive Healthcare Among Central American Migrant Women in Tijuana, Mexico}
^{Educating Physicians to Reduce Stigma and Improve Treatment for People with Opioid Use Disorder in West Virginia}
^{Empowering Community Health Advocates: Policy Pathways to Tackle Tuberculosis in Javanese Kampungs}
^{For Texans, By Texans: Addressing Insurance Gap Among Undocumented}
^{Improving Health Insurance Literacy in Harvard College Students}
^{Increasing Lung Cancer Screening Rates Among the Eligible Population in California}
^{"Increasing the Timely Utilization of Lifesaving Drugs: A Policy Recommendation to the}
^{Tanzanian Ministry of Health to Decrease the Rate of Death from Malaria in Tanzanian}
^{Children Under 5"}
^{Menstrual Equity in Motion: Policy Recommendations to Address Menstrual Poverty in Medellín Communes}
^{Mitigating Medical Mistrust (MM) in Harlem, Manhattan}
^{Peer-to-Peer Health Promotion and Pop-up Clinics: Community-Based Strategies for HIV Reduction among Transgender Survival Sex Workers}
^{Policy Analysis to Reducing Overdose Mortality In Oakland, CA}
^{"Policy Recommendation for Post-Infectious Hydrocephalus via TORCH Infections in Sonora,}
^{Mexico for Women of Childbearing Age, Pregnant Women, and Children Under 12"}
^{Policy recommendation to address mesothelioma among US firefighters.}
^{"Policy Recommendation to Combat Malnutrition Among Children Ages 0-5 Years Through}
^{Supplemental Awareness Campaigning for WIC Online Ordering Pilot Project in Massachusetts"}
^{Policy Recommendation to Implement Serologic Celiac Disease Screening for Pregnant Patients Seen Within the Massachusetts General Brigham Integrated}
^{Policy Recommendation to Marie Stopes International: Reproductive Choices and local Punjabi Non-Governmental Organizations to Increase Access to Equitable Reproductive Health Resources for Women in Rural Punjab}
^{Reducing Smoking Prevalence in West Virginia: A Proactive E-Referral Approach}
^{Reducing the Rate of Diabetic Amputations in South Los Angeles}
^{Remembering to Breathe: Policy Recommendations to Improve Asthma Adherence and Treatment Outcomes in Uttar Pradesh, India}
^{"Saving Somali Mothers: A Multifaceted Approach To Mitigate Disproportionally High Maternal}
^{Mortality Rates in Puntland, Somali"}
^{“School of Hard Knocks”: A Policy Proposal to Improve Concussion Management and Return to Play Protocol in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)}
^{SMS Reminders: A Policy Recommendation to Address Diabetes Related Morbidity and}
^{Mortality in West Virginia Adult Type 2 Diabetes Medicaid Beneficiaries}

2022-2023

^{A Policy Recommendation for Implementing an Inclusive Sex Education Program for Students with Disabilities in Kentucky Public Schools}
^{A Policy Recommendation to Improve Safe and Timely Access to Orthopedic Surgery in Rural Regions of Nepal}
^{A Policy Recommendation to Reduce Barriers to Reproductive Healthcare Access for Syrian Refugee Women in Lebanon}
^{A Policy Recommendation to the Zimbabwean Ministry of Health to Reduce the Rate of HIV Transmission Among Young Women in Zimbabwe}
^{Addressing Gaps in Access in Behavioral Health Access for Missouri Medicaid Enrollees through Care Collaboration}
^{An Invitation for Care: Policy Recommendation to Address the Opioid Epidemic Amongst Black Communities in Chicago}
^{Beating Breast and Cervical Cancer: A Policy Recommendation to Increase Preventative Care Utilization Among Medicaid Patients}
^{Behavioral Health Workforce Expansion in California}
^{Breathing Easier: Policy Recommendation to Address Pediatric Asthma Exacerbated by Housing Conditions in Detroit, Michigan}
^{Bridging the Gap: Addressing the Black Maternal Mortality Crisis in Pittsburgh}
^{Cash for Change: A Policy Proposal to Reduce Adolescent Pregnancy in Indigenous Communities of Peru}
^{Closing The Coverage Gap: The Case for Strengthening Mental Health Parity Laws in Ohio}
^{Equity in Sight: Policy Recommendations to Address Low Annual Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Rates Among Black Diabetic Patients in Cleveland, Ohio}
^{Expanding Access to Doula Care and Integrating Doula Services: A Policy Proposal to Address Racial Disparities in Maternal Health in Louisiana}
^{Help Them Understand: A Policy Recommendation to Increase the Availability and Provision of Language Access Services for Patients with Limited English Proficiency in New York City}
^{Improving Birth Outcomes in Louisiana by Increasing Prenatal WIC Participation: Strategy Recommendations for the Louisiana Department of Public Health}
^{Improving Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Through VHT programs in Rural Uganda}
^{Increasing Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder to Better Address the Opioid Epidemic in Michigan}
^{Increasing Hispanic Family Participation in Earned Income Tax Credit in Newark, New Jersey}
^{Looking to Community-Based Partnerships to Increase PrEP Uptake and Improve HIV Outcomes in Boston, MA: A Policy Recommendation}
^{Mental Health and Telemedicine: A Policy Recommendation to Improve Behavioral Healthcare Access in the U.S. Foster System}
^{Policy Recommendations for Medical School Curriculum to Improve Primary Care for Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries}
^{Policy Recommendations to Address Population Disparities and Health Care Gaps in the San Joaquin Valley to Treat Health Issues Related to Air Pollution}
^{Policy Recommendations to Increase Access to Renal Replacement Therapy for Diabetes Patients with Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease in Tigray, Ethiopia}
^{Protecting Children from Adverse Childhood Experiences in Nine Counties in Rural Tennessee through In-school Screening and Intervention}
^{Reducing Black Maternal and Infant Mortality in the U.S. by Improving Patient-Physician Relationships}
^{Reducing Breast Ironing Rates in the Littoral Region of Cameroon}
^{Reducing Drug Overdose Deaths in New York City: A Harm Reduction Analysis}
^{Reducing the Disproportionate: A Multi Pronged Policy Recommendation to Decrease the Rates of Childhood Asthma Through School-Based Interventions in Puerto Rico}
^{Stopping the practice of forced detention for patients unable to pay hospital bills in Nigeria}
^{Targeting TikTok’s Promotion of Anorexia Nervosa in Teenage Girls}
^{The Right to Have Children: Expanding Access to Infertility Treatment in Massachusetts Through MassHealth}

2021-2022

^{A Policy Intervention to Decrease Rates of Childhood Asthma Hospitalizations Through School-Based Interventions in St. Louis City Public Schools}
^{A Policy Proposal to Reduce Teen Pregnancy in Rural Mississippi by Improving School-Based Sex Education}
^{A Policy Recommendation to Reduce the Risk of Relapse in Postpartum Women with Opioid Use Disorders in Western Massachusetts}
^{Additions to Medical School Curriculum to Improve Language Acquisition in Deaf Children}
^{Addressing Childhood Obesity among Native Americans Living on Reservations in South Dakota through a Multi-Input Intervention}
^{Addressing Coding Intensity in Medicare Advantage Payments}
^{Addressing Rising Nurse Shortages in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic}
^{Addressing the Low Uptake of Gender-Based Violence in Greek Refugee Camps}
^{Amending Temporary Protected Status (TPS): A New Approach to Equity}
^{Closing the Gap: Reducing the Black-White Disparity in Louisiana's Maternal Mortality Rate by Targeting Postpartum Cardiomyopathy and Maternity Care Deserts}
^{Community Mobilization: A Proposal for the Incorporation of Lay Health Workers to Prevent and Mitigate the Spread of Hepatitis B in the Vietnamese Community of Southern California}
^{Eliminating Stigma in Rural India: A Policy Recommendation}
^{Feed-ing Eds: Preventing the Proliferation of Eating Disorders on Instagram}
^{Head Start to a New Life: Expanding Childcare into the Afghan Refugee Community in Lowell, Massachusetts}
^{Implementing Employment Services to Improve Substance Use Disorder Treatment Retention in West Virginia}
^{Improve the Health and Wellbeing of College Students through Mandated Meetings with Trained Health Advisors: A Policy Proposal to the Presidents of the Ivy League Universities}
^{Improving Clinical Practices and Communication as a Means To Increase HPV Vaccination Rates Among Teenagers in Mississippi}
^{Increasing Doula Use Among Low-Income Black Women in New York City: A Policy Recommendation to the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Hygiene}
^{Misinformation and Information in the Era of Covid-19: Reflecting on Success and Failure as a Means to Build Forward Thinking Initiatives}
^{Non-Alcohol and Non-Tobacco Substance Use Among Young People in India: A Systematic Review}
^{Physician Bias Against Latinx Immigrants in the United States: Medical School Intervention}
^{Policies to Prevent Suicide Attempts and Mortality by Firearm among Individuals with Suicidal Ideation in Wyoming}
^{Policy Recommendation to Improve FGLI Academic and Mental Health Outcomes at Harvard College}
^{Policy Recommendation to Reduce Suicide Inequities and Disparities Observed in AI/AN Youth Population}
^{Policy Recommendations for Reducing Officer-Involved Shootings During Acute Mental Health Crises in the City of New York}
^{Policy Recommendations for the Texas Board of Criminal Justice to Improve Mental Health Support for Individuals in State Prisons Transitioning from Prison to Community}
^{Post-Exploration Intervention: Increasing Access to Nutrition for Syrian Refugees in Mar Mikhael, Lebanon}
^{Promoting Utilizations of General Health Checks Among First-Generation Vietnamese Americans in San Francisco}
^{Reducing Emergency Room Length of Stay in The District of Columbia: A Policy Proposal For The District of Columbia Hospital Association}
^{Reducing in HIV/AIDS Transmission in the Bronx, New York}
^{Re-energizing the Field: Incentivizing the Development of New Antibiotics in the United States}
^{Renewable Energy and Disaster Resilience: A Policy Analysis to Address Excess Mortality among Diabetic Patients after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico}
^{Screening to Address Adverse Childhood Experiences in Arkansas}
^{Tailored Mental Health Care For People Experiencing Homelessness in New York City}
^{The Case for Remaking Meat: Supporting American Health and Promoting Plant-Forward Diets Through USDA-NIFA Funding of Alternative: Protein Research & Development}
^{The Opioid Epidemic and Perioperative Care}

2020-2021

^{An Analysis of Policy Recommendations to Improve Access to Mental Health Care Services among Low-Income Minority Children in the United States}
^{Combatting Gender-Based Violence Against Rohingya Refugee Women In Cox’s Bazar - A Policy Analysis}
^{Reducing U.S. Prescription Drug Prices While Maintaining Incentives for Innovation: Exploring Congressional Policy Options}
^{Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Syrian Refugee Children: Understanding and Addressing this Issue through Actionable Strategies}
^{Community Collaborations, Language Accessibility, and Building Trust in Immigrant Neighborhoods: A Pilot Model to Lower Barriers to Medicaid Coverage for Children of Low-Income Immigrant Families in Massachusetts}
^{Increasing Access to Maternal Care for Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia}
^{Improving the Quality of Tuberculosis Care in India’s Private Health Sector Through Subsidized Treatment and Diagnosis Resources}
^{Black Mothers Matter: Policy Recommendations to Reduce the Consequences of Racially Biased Healthcare Systems and Providers}
^{Increasing Accessibility of Oral Healthcare in Urban Homeless Populations}
^{The Physician Shortage in Rural America}
^{Increasing Adherence to Mental Health Treatments: Hybrid Telemedicine Treatment Alternatives for Bipolar Disorder}
^{Policy Recommendation to Increase Lung Cancer Screening Among People Experiencing Homelessness}
^{You Are What You Eat: Proposing a Medicaid-Covered Healthy Food Prescription Program to Prevent Diabetes in West Virginia’s Low-Income Population}
^{A Policy Recommendation to Enhance Colorectal Cancer Screening in Southland, New Zealand}
^{Increasing Health Services Accessibility through Health Coverage Expansion for Undocumented Immigrants}
^{Fighting the Opioid Crisis in High Risk Populations of Massachusetts: What Has Been Done and What Can We Do?}
^{Let’s Talk About Stress: Tackling Adolescent Anxiety and Enhancing Youth Mental Health with Early Mindfulness-Based Education}
^{Mitigating Child Malnutrition in Indigenous Guatemala: A Policy Recommendation}
^{There is No Price Tag on Human Rights: Why California Should Ban the Tampon Tax}
^{“Up a Tree”: A Green Canopy Oriented Model to Reducing Health Disparities within Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus}
^{Alcoholism: Public Health Impact and Policy Recommendations for Reducing Prevalence}
^{Policy Recommendations to Increase Retention in Antiretroviral Therapy Care Among People Living with HIV/AIDS in Rural South Africa}
^{Addressing Obesity Among Rural Adult Chilean Women: Innovative Public Health Policy Interventions Aimed at Reducing Obesity-Related Morbidity}
^{The Baby Blues? Improving Maternal Mental Health in the United States through Paid Family Leave}
^{Malaria in Tanzania: A Case for an “accompagnateur” Model of Community Healthcare}
^{The Urban Stranded: Transportation and Care for Chronic Conditions in Los Angeles City and County}
^{Clinician Development: A Policy Recommendation for Mediating the barriers to Racial Minority Access for Eating Disorder Treatment in America}
^{Outreach Specialists: Addressing the Chronic Underrepresentation of Black Americans in Clinical Trials}
^{Breaking the Silence: Community Health Worker Program to Address Mental Health Stigma and Disparities in Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder}

GHHP 91 vs. GHHP 99

Students often ask "What is the difference between GHHP 91 and 99?" GHHP 99 is a guided capstone course offered every spring, taught by graduate students, with a regular weekly meeting time. TFs work with students in small groups to complete their health policy papers. GHHP 91 is more similar to an independent study, but where the student is working under the guidance of a faculty advisor, to write his/her research paper. Meeting times are determined jointly by the student and advisor.