黑料社

As an educator, Alvin Tran, Sc.D., MPH has made several trips to Washington, D.C., over the past several years with his students. During their visits, they attended conferences and explored the nation鈥檚 capital, enjoying everything it has to offer. Dr. Tran has now returned to Washington 鈥� this time, for a longer stay and in a different capacity 鈥� as he begins an exciting new public service opportunity.

On a public-service leave of absence for the 2023-24 academic year, Dr. Tran has received a fellowship to serve in the , which is within the . He鈥檚 excited to bring his passions for public health and policy to his new role.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity to apply the skills I learned as a doctoral student to the creation of new policies to inform health,鈥� explained Dr. Tran, an assistant professor in the University鈥檚 Department of Population Health and Leadership. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to be offered this opportunity to do a year of public service.鈥�

鈥業 come in with a unique skillset鈥�

ARPA-H, which follows the same model as the but is focused on healthcare, supports the development of high-impact solutions to health problems. Specifically, it endeavors to boldly advance cutting-edge biomedical and health research that is not typically done through 鈥渢raditional鈥� research. It focuses on a variety of critical challenges in healthcare, from cancer to cybersecurity.

President Joe Biden proposed the creation of ARPA-H to enable the government to expedite biomedical and health solutions. The Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law in early 2022 authorizing the establishment of ARPA-H within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Tran, who also serves as the University鈥檚 assistant provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion, is among the scientists and researchers from across the country who received fellowships. He was selected after an intensive application process, which included writing multiple essays and interviewing in-person in the nation鈥檚 capital.

鈥淲hen I was doing my interview with ARPA-H, it felt like I was interviewing for a similar team to what I have here with the Provost鈥檚 Office,鈥� recalls Dr. Tran. 鈥淚t was a small team, and you have a seat at the table. I come in with a unique skillset. I鈥檓 trained in public health and social and behavioral sciences, so understanding what influences human behavior. But I also have a background in diversity, equity, and inclusion, which appealed to them, since they wanted to emphasize health equity.鈥�

鈥楾he person I want to be鈥�

Starting off his time in Washington, Dr. Tran has spent two weeks in orientation. Some of his training brought him back to his days as a student, reviewing pertinent civics lessons such as how a bill becomes a law. He was looking forward to attending talks with lawmakers, elected officials, and experts on Capitol Hill and the many learning opportunities they would offer.

Dr. Tran is especially excited about beginning his public service because it will enable him to have a seat at the table when it comes to policy. The work will draw on what he鈥檚 been doing at the University 鈥� and take it to another level.

As director of the University鈥檚 , a working group that focuses on issues around the sociocultural factors associated with body image, Dr. Tran created a fellowship program that enables students from each of the University鈥檚 academic colleges and schools to travel to Washington for hands-on training. They learn about all facets of health advocacy, including addressing health inequities and how to interact with elected officials.

It was during a recent trip to Washington with his students last year 鈥� before he鈥檇 applied for the ARPA-H program 鈥� that the conversation turned its focus to Dr. Tran. He鈥檇 already been making an impact as a researcher and educator, but what if he took on a more hands-on role? He鈥檇 long been interested in influencing policymaking at the highest level, and he鈥檇 put that dream on the backburner. Now it was time to revisit it.

鈥淢y students and I met with lawmakers, and they were asking me, 鈥榃hen is it going to be you across this table?鈥欌�� he recalls. 鈥淚 told them I wasn鈥檛 sure if I wanted to be the person in the seat, but I want to be someone who is around that person to help inform them about science, technology, and health policy. That鈥檚 the person I want to be.鈥�

鈥楳y dream...鈥�

As he steps into his new role, Dr. Tran is excited about the many opportunities he鈥檒l have to network while at ARPA-H. He鈥檚 particularly looking forward to serving on task forces and committees focused on important topics such as addressing health disparities.

Dr. Tran continues to dream about the impact he鈥檒l make in Washington and at the University of New Haven. He hopes to interact with individuals he can eventually connect with his students, perhaps as guest speakers in the classroom, or, even, as keynote speakers for some of the University鈥檚 health-related programs on campus. He also hopes his 黑料社 in Washington will enable him to create even greater opportunities for educating tomorrow鈥檚 health policy leaders, advocates, and policymakers.

鈥淚 would like to expand on the WeEmbody Lab with a stronger focus on health policy and what that means to use science and research to influence the creation of newer policy,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y dream is to one day create a health policy center for a university, so hopefully, that can happen here.鈥�