CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Liliane Windsor, a professor of social work at the University of Illinois, has been named a Health Policy Fellow by the National Academy of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows are chosen annually in a national competition for highly accomplished health, behavioral and social science professionals who have interests in health policy.
Windsor is among six mid-career health professionals to be named to the 2019-20 class of fellows. Beginning in September, the fellows will spend a year in Washington, D.C., working with members of Congress and the executive branch on health-related legislative and regulatory issues. They also will engage in leadership development programs and other activities.
After an intensive three-month orientation, the fellows embark on an assignment in a congressional office or the executive branch that engages them in federal health-related legislation and programs.
When their yearlong assignment in Washington concludes, the fellows continue receiving support from the program to further their development as health policy leaders.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to learn firsthand about federal health care legislative and executive processes while also using my social work skills and academic training to serve the American people,” Windsor said. “I’m committed to building a culture of health and health equality, and am passionate about mentoring underrepresented junior scholars in the field of health science.”
Windsor, who joined the U. of I. social work faculty in 2015, holds a doctorate in social work from the University of Texas, Austin. She conducts research on health disparities, substance use disorder treatment, HIV prevention and criminal justice issues, and has overseen numerous research studies in the U.S. and Brazil. She is affiliated with the Lemann Institute for Brazilian Studies at the U. of I.
Windsor also is the founder of the Newark Community Collaborative Board, a group of researchers, service providers and consumers working together to improve health in New Jersey through research, critical thinking and civic engagement.
“We are pleased and excited that Liliane’s groundbreaking work on health care issues that affect vulnerable populations has been recognized with this prestigious fellowship,” said Steven Anderson, the dean of the U. of I.’s School of Social Work. “Health care is one of our nation’s most significant challenges, and Liliane’s unique expertise will add important perspectives to discussions with policymakers in Washington. Her fellowship experience will be invaluable to her future research and teaching of health practitioners.”
Editor’s notes: To reach Liliane Windsor, call 217-300-1782; email lwindsor@illinois.edu
