Explore our Transformational Work
Research & Systems Change
Our research and advocacy efforts are designed for lasting systems change. We are working hard to find solutions.
Education
Our programs combine patient advocacy, in depth knowledge of how health systems operate, and experiential learning to prepare tomorrow’s health justice leaders.
Advocacy
Students offer free advocacy and navigation services for patients entangled in healthcare and insurance systems – because no one should have to go it alone.
Our Mission: To create a more just, people-centered healthcare system that works for ALL patients and providers.
We seek justice in three important ways:
- Our advocates work closely with patients to help them navigate their own care.
- Our researchers study and support the patient experience.
- Our educators give University of Wisconsin students the tools to change systems—and people’s lives.
Our Vision: We deserve a healthcare system everyone can access, understand, and afford.
Our Approach: We train health advocates, conduct research, and guide patients to make healthcare better for all.
News
Fighting for Insurance Coverage Validated: Patient Persistence and CPP Advocacy Leads to Coverage for Medically Necessary Cochlear Implant Surgery
When Aleeza Barkas was diagnosed with a rare form of progressive hearing loss, she expected the medical challenges ahead. What she didn’t expect was that she would have to spend over a year fighting her insurance …
October 5, 2026Advocating for Seniors Through Partnership
When older adults across Wisconsin began receiving unexpectedly high medical bills earlier this year, many were left frustrated, confused, and unsure where to turn. What started as individual calls for help soon revealed a much …
September 28, 2026We are Hiring: Staff Advocate for New Rural Health Insurance Project
More information on the UW Job Site. The Center for Patient Partnerships (CPP) seeks a staff advocate for the new health insurance program to reach rural health care consumers. The advocate will provide primarily intensive …
August 28, 2026- Read more
“CPP has been the most personally impactful experience of my graduate program. Through the coursework, but especially through the connections I’ve made with clients and fellow advocates, I’ve gained important understanding of healthcare from an individual to systems level.
My time at CPP has laid the foundation for a future career grounded in patient narratives.”
Law, Medical Sciences and Nursing 768
All are welcome here.
The Center for Patient Partnerships and the University of Wisconsin-Madison
are located on unceded, ancestral lands of the Ho-Chunk people.