Education

Graduate students from multiple disciplines assist people diagnosed with life changing health events as they navigate multiple complex systems of care and services.

Students typically come from law, medicine, the MPH program, pharmacy, social work, genetic counseling and other graduate programs. For more information, you can reach us at learning@cpp.wisc.edu.

Learn more about the Health Justice Clinic Experience

The Center’s Health Advocacy Certificate Program educates a diversity of graduate and professional students interested in health advocacy. The 12-credit program is an innovative, experiential, interprofessional advocacy training experience for graduate students from across campus.

Learn more about the Health Advocacy Certificate Program. Or, to get started with an advising session, please send us an email (learning@cpp.wisc.edu) or call 608 263-7736.

The Medical-Legal Partnership is a Pro Bono clinic in which Law Students learn to advocate with primary care patients who need legal assistance to address health-harming social needs.

Learn more about the Medical-Legal Partnership 

Undergraduate students can enroll in Legal Studies 473/694/699 to participate in the Resource Navigator Program.

With the help of supervisors, students work with patients to help them connect with needed community resources and follow-up with them regularly to help them stay healthy. Meeting regularly as a class, students learn about the important links between basic social and economic needs and health, interact directly with patients to help them meet their needs, and learn important patient advocacy skills.

Law and pre-law students are on hand to help patients with health-harming legal needs. In this win-win-win program, patients receive guidance as they navigate through the web of social service and legal systems, students learn important skills and perspectives, and providers gain allies in supporting patients who struggle to access the resources that will boost health outcomes.

Learn more about the Resource Navigator Program

Legal Studies 473 Health Impacts of Unmet Social Needs will replace Legal Studies 400 beginning Fall 2022. Legal Studies 400 – Understanding the Impact of Social and Legal Issues on Health, is a service-learning course that engages students in direct work with patients at a local clinic six hours per week. Students will develop an understanding of how social determinants of health affect peoples’ lives. Students will also attend a weekly seminar where they will reflect on their experiences in the clinic and further explore how social location impacts health, legal and social service delivery. 

Law and pre-law students are on hand to help patients with health harming legal needs. In this win-win-win program, patients receive guidance as they navigate through the web of social service and legal systems, students learn important skills and perspectives, and providers gain allies in supporting patients who struggle to access the resources that will boost health outcomes. 

Legal Studies 694 is a variation on Legal Studies 473 offered as an internship in the summer only for a shorter number of weeks and more hours per week.

Legal Studies 699 is only offered for 1 credit and only for returning students who have completed Legal Studies 400/473.

Learn more about Legal Studies 473/694/699, the Community Resource Navigator Program

LIFT Dane (Legal Interventions for Transforming Dane):
Technology-enhanced Pop-Up Legal Clinics
P.O. Box 259463
Madison, WI 53725

LIFT Dane (Legal Interventions for Transforming Dane) is a partnership between the Economic Justice Institute, Legal Action of Wisconsin, UW Law School’s civil clinics, including the Center for Patient Partnerships, and Employment and Training Association to create an online platform that provides easy online access to public data and services to assist individuals eliminate legal barriers to better employment.

For low income and fragile middle-class workers, the opportunity for economic security and well-being often winds through the civil legal justice system. Our community is no exception. Thousands in Dane County are weighed down by fixable minor legal problems: suspended driver’s licenses, consumer debt, child support, and criminal records, that have major impacts on their ability to advance in the workforce, secure housing, and stabilize their families. Most legal services are focused on one issue – LIFT Dane’s app will be designed to provide a holistic Legal Tune Up to determine all the legal issues a person might face.

Legal services will be provided at community-based pop-up legal clinics. Sites will include employers, job centers, social service organizations, libraries, neighborhood centers, and other community gathering spaces. (The first pop-ups will likely be at the Dane County Job Center on Aberg Ave., Bus Route 2)

LIFT Dane will start by helping people restore suspended driver’s licenses, assisting people identify other legal problems they may have, and referring them to further legal services and employment support. Students will help pilot the application being built to streamline legal services. Over time the technology and pop-ups will address multiple legal issues. In addition to pop-ups, the technology will be available for use by any stakeholder in Dane County – self-represented individuals, lawyers (and law students) at clinics and community-based firms, and community advocates. Students will be supervised by clinical faculty at the Center for Patient Partnerships and the Neighborhood Law Clinic and staff attorneys at community-based partner organizations.

• Number of student volunteers requested: 5-10
• Project start/end date: Ongoing. We are recruiting volunteers for:
  1. Community-based pop-up legal clinics; and
  2. Help testing the LIFT Dane application
• Approximate hours of work requested: We ask students to commit to at least 9 hours over the Spring semester.  Three hours for training and then 6 providing services over 2-4 pop-up clinics or help testing the new technology.   Pop-up clinics will be primarily on weekdays; shifts will last 2-4 hours. Application testing sessions will be: 1-2 hours.
• Training: All volunteers must complete a three-hour training on reinstating driver’s licenses in late January or early February.  When the technology is available, students will be introduced to the Legal Tune Up.  Additional training will be provided as new modules are rolled out.
• Transportation: Pop-up sites will vary, with attention to access by public transportation.  Carpooling will also be coordinated.  The first pop-ups will likely be at the Dane County Job Center on Aberg Ave., Bus Route 2
• Desired course or clinic experience: No specific course or clinic experience required.  Training will be provided. Complete the required Pro-bono online ethics course prior to beginning this opportunity. All levels (1L-3L) welcome.
• To apply: Submit an email with a one to two paragraph explanation of interest in volunteering to sachin.gupte@wisc.edu
• Questions? Contact Sachin Gupte at the Center for Patient Partnerships at sachin.gupte@wisc.edu or 608-262-6667.

Formerly known as the “Patient-Centered Care and Health Advocacy Clinical”, this experiential, interprofessional course has students work directly with patients facing life changing health events as they navigate healthcare, benefits, and insurance systems.

This seminar (Law 940) is designed to build on the patient advocacy clinical experience by (1) deepening understanding of the systemic causes of problems consumers experience with health and health care in the U.S. and remedial opportunities; (2) examining key elements of, and challenges/opportunities in, the advocacy field; (3) strengthening identity and capacity as an advocate – with particular emphasis on system-level strategies.

The course: introduces theories of change, themes, roles, and strategies of system level advocacy; highlights the opportunities and limitations of patients in the policy domain, explores the role of advocacy groups, and critically examines advocacy in the legislative, regulatory, community, and organizational arenas.

Public Health 785 introduces students to the fundamental characteristics of U.S. medical care and public health systems. We’ll cover key factors that affect system performance, including organization, financing, and delivery of health care services; management and policy challenges facing medical care and public health systems, especially with regard to reducing disparities in health outcomes; and public policy processes and analysis of options for system improvement. Using history and research evidence as guides, we’ll focus heavily on using systems thinking to address complex issues.

See a Compendium of Selected Student Papers from 2020

Currently only open to students enrolled in the UWSMPH MPH program or joint degree programs with the MPH.

This four week, interactive, e-learning seminar (Law 940) is designed to equip future health care providers with tools to improve community health in three ways: (1) by deepening your exploration of determinants of health and the systemic causes of problems consumers experience with health and health care in the U.S.; (2) by introducing you to a range of strategies for creating productive change with and on behalf of groups of patients; and (3) by strengthening your ability to see the connections between the experiences of individual patients and the organizational, political, social, and economic structures that influence the experiences of all patients. We will introduce theories of change and strategies relevant to system level advocacy; highlight opportunities for and limitations faced by patients in the policy domain; explore the role of advocacy groups; and critically examine advocacy opportunities for health care providers in the legislative, regulatory, community, and organizational arenas.

Further, students will enhance their ability to form key partnerships and work effectively with a broad range of other actors central to improving health and health systems. The online course utilizes discussion forums, collaborative documents, and multimedia sources. Assignments will include reflective pieces, and short papers. Community forum participation will factor significantly into the final grade.

(Law 940 – online course; offered for medical, occupational and physical therapy, and genetic counseling students: 2 Credits)

This four week, interactive, e-learning seminar (Law 940) is designed to provide an overview of the complexities of the U.S. Health Care System, as experienced by patients and health care providers caring for them. It will also build your capacity for advocacy in clinical settings by exploring strategies for addressing barriers and inequities, and for harnessing system resources and building on community assets. Study of public and private insurance, medical billing, employment issues, and disability will provide future health care providers with a comprehensive view of the myriad of challenges patients face as they navigate illness and health care – and concrete tools to address these issues that often stymie health improvement for individuals and populations. Each topical module will conclude with guided reflection where students envision prevention and response strategies, resources, the provider’s role, and the roles of other key stakeholders. The online course utilizes discussion forums, collaborative documents, and multimedia sources. Assignments will include reflective pieces, and short papers. Community forum participation will factor significantly into the final grade.

(Law 940 – online course; offered for medical, occupational and physical therapy, and genetic counseling students: 2 Credits)

This externship opportunity (Law 854) is available to certificate students wishing to apply their advocacy skills in a community-based non-profit, government entity, or health care organization. Students work with an Advocacy Faculty mentor to identify a site, on-site supervisor, and prepare a learning contract to guide their experience. The Applied Advocacy Experience is a prerequisite.

(Law 854–on campus; combination (on campus & online); or online; offered to certificate students only)

In our Directed Research (Law 990) option, students work with a faculty mentor on a self-directed project or paper from conception to completion. Past projects have included an analysis of cost-savings as a result of advocacy interventions, a video examining advocacy throughout the stages of cancer care, creation of an information packet for a spinal cord injury support group, and a needs assessment for a community non-profit contemplating advocacy training.

(Law 990: Directed Research–on campus; combination (on campus & online); or online)

LIFT Dane (Legal Interventions for Transforming Dane):
Technology-enhanced Pop-Up Legal Clinics
P.O. Box 259463
Madison, WI 53725

LIFT Dane (Legal Interventions for Transforming Dane) is a partnership between the Economic Justice Institute, Legal Action of Wisconsin, UW Law School’s civil clinics, including the Center for Patient Partnerships, and Employment and Training Association to create an online platform that provides easy online access to public data and services to assist individuals eliminate legal barriers to better employment.

For low income and fragile middle-class workers, the opportunity for economic security and well-being often winds through the civil legal justice system. Our community is no exception. Thousands in Dane County are weighed down by fixable minor legal problems: suspended driver’s licenses, consumer debt, child support, and criminal records, that have major impacts on their ability to advance in the workforce, secure housing, and stabilize their families. Most legal services are focused on one issue – LIFT Dane’s app will be designed to provide a holistic Legal Tune Up to determine all the legal issues a person might face.

Legal services will be provided at community-based pop-up legal clinics. Sites will include employers, job centers, social service organizations, libraries, neighborhood centers, and other community gathering spaces. (The first pop-ups will likely be at the Dane County Job Center on Aberg Ave., Bus Route 2)

LIFT Dane will start by helping people restore suspended driver’s licenses, assisting people identify other legal problems they may have, and referring them to further legal services and employment support. Students will help pilot the application being built to streamline legal services. Over time the technology and pop-ups will address multiple legal issues. In addition to pop-ups, the technology will be available for use by any stakeholder in Dane County – self-represented individuals, lawyers (and law students) at clinics and community-based firms, and community advocates. Students will be supervised by clinical faculty at the Center for Patient Partnerships and the Neighborhood Law Clinic and staff attorneys at community-based partner organizations.

• Number of student volunteers requested: 5-10
• Project start/end date: Ongoing. We are recruiting volunteers for:
  1. Community-based pop-up legal clinics; and
  2. Help testing the LIFT Dane application
• Approximate hours of work requested: We ask students to commit to at least 9 hours over the Spring semester.  Three hours for training and then 6 providing services over 2-4 pop-up clinics or help testing the new technology.   Pop-up clinics will be primarily on weekdays; shifts will last 2-4 hours. Application testing sessions will be: 1-2 hours.
• Training: All volunteers must complete a three-hour training on reinstating driver’s licenses in late January or early February.  When the technology is available, students will be introduced to the Legal Tune Up.  Additional training will be provided as new modules are rolled out.
• Transportation: Pop-up sites will vary, with attention to access by public transportation.  Carpooling will also be coordinated.  The first pop-ups will likely be at the Dane County Job Center on Aberg Ave., Bus Route 2
• Desired course or clinic experience: No specific course or clinic experience required.  Training will be provided. Complete the required Pro-bono online ethics course prior to beginning this opportunity. All levels (1L-3L) welcome.
• To apply: Submit an email with a one to two paragraph explanation of interest in volunteering to sachin@patientpartnerships.org.
• Questions? Contact Sachin Gupte at the Center for Patient Partnerships at sachin@patientpartnerships.org or 608-262-6667.

Hardware and Software Requirements:

• Operating System
  • Windows: Windows 10 or higher
  • Mac: Mac OS X (10.12 or higher)
• Internet
  • You need sufficient internet bandwidth/speed to complete all tasks required in our courses. For the Applied Advocacy Experience this includes activities such as frequent video conferencing and telephone calls via your computer.
• Video & Sound
  • Headset with microphone (REQUIRED)
  • Webcam (REQUIRED)
• Browser
  • Firefox (latest version)
  • Chrome (latest version)
  • Safari (latest version)
  • Check to see what browser you are using now and if you need to update at www.whatbrowser.org.
• Programs & Plugins
  • Java (free)
  • Adobe Reader (free) or Adobe Acrobat
  • Adobe Flash Player (free)
• E-Mail
  • You must have the ability to send and receive e-mail from your computer

Contact us at learning@patientpartnerships.org if you have specific questions about the above requirements.