Student Wins Winston Health Policy Scholarship.
First-year Master of Public Health student Elizabeth Boyes has received a David A. Winston Health Policy Scholarship. In addition to the $10,000 award, Boyes will travel to Washington, DC in October for a dinner and symposium with fellow Winston scholars and health policy makers.
“I’m really excited about the opportunities that this scholarship brings,” Boyes says. “I’m looking forward to networking with other scholars and expanding my current knowledge on health policy.”
The scholarship honors first-year graduate students who are committed to improving the US health care system, as well as leadership, academic achievement, and community involvement, and long-term career interests in health policy, public health, health administration, or health management.
Boyes, who is completing the health policy and law certificate at SPH, says she developed an interest in health policy due to the broad impact health policies have on entire populations.
“I’m really interested in pursuing a career where I can impact population-level health and work within health care systems to improve the quality, affordability, and accessibility of health care for vulnerable populations,” Boyes says. “I’m also interested in the intersection between health policy and finance, and how the financial aspect of health policy impacts our health care system and our communities.”
In addition to classes, Boyes currently interns with the New England chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation in Needham, Mass. She helps educate patients about available resources, and helps plan the foundation’s special events.
“The foundation is a great organization to work with because they raise a lot of money to help the Crohn’s and IBD community in New England better manage their battle with these awful chronic diseases,” Boyes says.
This summer, Boyes will complete her practicum in the office of Massachusetts State Representative Jeffrey Roy, who represents the 10th Norfolk district. As a legislative intern, she will research issues related to the opioid crisis and supervised injecting facilities, summarize bills, and engage in constituent outreach. Boyes says the position is a “great opportunity to apply my academic knowledge of government roles and policymaking into real-life situations.”
The Winston Health Policy Scholarship was created in honor of the late David A. Winston, who played a significant role in shaping health policy in the US. Over the span of two decades, Winston served as chief deputy director of the California Department of Health, consultant to President Reagan’s administration, largely in the areas of deregulation and competition in the health sector, president of the National Committee for Quality Health Care, and senior corporate vice president for Voluntary Hospitals of America.