Health Policy & Innovation

Interdisciplinary Themes

Bass Connections projects, courses and summer programs are aligned with the following themes:

Led by the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy

Healthcare is at once a critical part of people’s lives and a highly consequential part of the U.S. economy. Despite leading the world in many key areas of biomedical innovation and vastly outspending other countries on healthcare, the health of U.S. citizens fares no better – and by some measures fares worse – than those living in other countries. Too often U.S. healthcare is not as affordable, equitable or accessible as Americans need it to be.

Bass Connections in Health Policy & Innovation uses an interdisciplinary approach to confront complex challenges in health and healthcare in the U.S. – from the need for new and better treatments and the high cost of care, to the factors that cause persistent health disparities, to the rapid spread of misinformation and growing obstacles to effective development of public health strategies at the local, state and national levels. 

The theme will support project teams and courses that engage faculty and students in the development and implementation of strategies and solutions to improve the state of our healthcare system through evidence-based policy analysis, the development and testing of new medical devices and service delivery models, data analysis to inform patient care and wellness, intercountry comparative analysis, new provider training and patient communications systems, and new pricing models to reduce the cost of care. Students will develop the ability to apply critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills to address complex health challenges, hone their capabilities in health policy research and analysis, and gain experience working on multidisciplinary teams.

Health Policy & Innovation Project Teams

Small child seen from behind, walking while holding on to hands of adults on either side.

This team seeks to help the Children’s Complex Care Coalition of North Carolina improve systems of care for children with complex health needs through community-engaged research and advocacy. Read more about Children's Complex Care Coalition of North Carolina (4CNC) (2023-2024) »


Digital blood pressure monitor worn on a person's wrist.

This project will focus on evaluating the policy implications of the January 2022 ruling from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Read more about Closing the Gap on Health Disparities and Outcomes in Hypertension (2023-2024) »


Woman viewed from behind writing on a large piece of easel paper under heading Baby Supplies, with man next to her.

This project team will develop and implement a sustainable inpatient antepartum intervention through virtual antenatal patient sessions (“CAP sessions”) that can benefit pregnant women and their babies by increasing length of pregnancy and breastfeeding rates.  Read more about Community for Antepartum Patients (CAP): Establishing an Inpatient Model for Group Prenatal Care at Duke (2023-2024) »


LATIN-19 logo.

This project team aims to identify community-informed policy solutions to increase health equity and improve the responsiveness of the local health system for Latinx communities. Read more about Community-Informed Policy to Improve Latinx Health Outcomes in North Carolina (2023-2024) »


Healthcare providers stand next to bed of a patient who has an apparatus around her to lift her up.

This project will develop a formal process to facilitate the adoption of clinical decision support tools in different clinical contexts. Read more about Data Science in Clinical Care (2023-2024) »


Diagram of goal-concordant care, showing that documentation, education and reporting all lead into it.

This team will support the implementation of a roadmap for goals of care conversations for patients with serious illness at Duke Health, helping to ensure that all patients have access to open, accurate and empathetic communication. Read more about Developing a Roadmap for Goals of Care Conversations at Duke Health (2023-2024) »


Project Activate.

This project aims to carry out a benefit-cost analysis of North Carolina Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education), an intervention that employs mental health programs through a multitiered system of supports in schools. Read more about Economic Evaluation of School-Based Mental Health Systems (2023-2024) »


Outline of state of North Carolina with graphic in shape of heart and icon of a child.

This project team will research child maltreatment prevention at the Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative and the Center for Child & Family Policy.  Read more about Policy Strategies for Child Maltreatment Prevention (2023-2024) »


Outline sketch of a female body over a yellow mottled background.

This project team will work to develop a measure of female sexual well-being for use in postpartum populations and an educational intervention to improve AYA cancer survivor sexual functioning and satisfaction.  Read more about Promoting Female Sexual Well-Being Through Research and Education (2023-2024) »


Male doctor holds model of spine and speaks with female patient seated on examining table.

This project will work with Duke Hospital in an effort to improve health outcomes for patients undergoing spine surgery. Read more about Spine Surgery Patient Navigators (2023-2024) »


Box of leafy green vegetables.

This project team will support ongoing community-derived goals for the coordination of Durham’s food security organizations. Read more about Tracing the Roots of Nutrition Access, Implementation and Policy (2023-2024) »


Image created in part with graphics from communitycommons.org.

The aim of this project is to document the political and ethical situations of local healthcare providers as they attempt to provide women with the nationwide medical standard of care in light of the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Read more about Women's Reproductive Health Post-Roe (2023-2024) »


Health Policy & Innovation Courses

Other Undergraduate Courses

DOCST 331S: U.S. Women's Health Post-Roe

Fall 2023
Instructor: Wesley Hogan

The overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 led to the deaths of two women in South Carolina. One woman died from sepsis following self-instrumentation, and the second died after giving birth to a healthy baby. She began to hemorrhage; hospital administrators were afraid that the “D&C” she... Read more about U.S. Women's Health Post-Roe »


Undergraduate/Graduate Courses

I&E 590: New Ventures Clinic-Healthcare

Fall 2023
Instructor: Rob Hallford

This course is an opportunity for students to work on commercialization plans for technologies developed at Duke University, in particular in the areas of therapeutics (pharmaceuticals), diagnostics and medical devices. Read more about New Ventures Clinic-Healthcare »


NURSING 488: Interprofessional Care of the Critically Ill Adult Patient

Fall 2023
Instructor: Christina Leonard

This course will help students design and provide holistic, evidence-based nursing care to individuals with complex health problems across the lifespan and across care settings. Students collaborate with members of the health care team to plan, implement and evaluate the care provided to... Read more about Interprofessional Care of the Critically Ill Adult Patient »


Graduate Courses

I&E 720: Design in Healthcare I

Fall 2023
Instructor: Eric Richardson

This is the first of a two-course series that guides students through the process of human-centered design with the goal of developing a solution to a real-world, unmet need in healthcare. Students will learn to: Read more about Design in Healthcare I »


I&E 721: Design in Healthcare II

Spring 2023
Instructor: Eric Richardson

This course guides students through the process of human-centered design with the goal of developing a solution to a real-world, unmet need in healthcare. Read more about Design in Healthcare II »


NURSING 484: Interprofessional Care of the Critically Ill Patient across the Lifespan 

Spring 2023
Instructor: Lisa S Lewis, Al Cadavero

This course will help students design and provide holistic, evidence-based nursing care to individuals with complex health problems across the lifespan and across care settings. Students collaborate with members of the health care team to plan, implement and evaluate the care provided to... Read more about Interprofessional Care of the Critically Ill Patient across the Lifespan   »


OTD 606: Occupational Therapy Capstone Project I

Fall 2023
Instructor: Campbell Mikush

In this course, students design and initiate a capstone project and experience in one of eight advanced areas of practice within occupational therapy: advocacy, research, policy, entrepreneurship, education, administration, program development and theory development. Read more about Occupational Therapy Capstone Project I »


OTD 617: Occupational Therapy Capstone Project II

Spring 2023
Instructor: Campbell Mikush

In this course, students design and initiate a capstone project in one of eight advanced areas of practice within occupational therapy: advocacy, research, policy, entrepreneurship, education, administration, program development and theory development. This course is only open to second-year... Read more about Occupational Therapy Capstone Project II »