Student Research

The Schroeder Center supports W&M student research interests and activities in several ways:

Students can enroll in Public Policy 390, Health Policy Research Lab. This is a one-credit experiential learning course, in which students work in teams to conduct research to address a pressing health policy problem.

Students can join the Health Policy Journal Club. The club meets weekly to discuss health policy research articles and host experts on a theme chosen by students. If you are interested in connecting with the club, contact Professor Mellor at jmmell@wm.edu.
Students can use the resources on the Center's website to learn about potential data sources for their own research projects and to identify undergraduate student conferences and journals.
The Schroeder Center typically hires undergraduate research assistants each year in late August. Look for announcements in emails to majors in public policy and related departments around that time of year. If you want to be on our mailing list, email April Greener at algreener@wm.edu.
Depending on funding, summer health policy internships may be available. For example, in past years, the Schroeder Center partnered with the Brock Institute at Eastern Virginia Medical School to support the SC-BI (pronounced scooby) fellows.

Below is a list of some of the student research projects that the Center has supported:

Effects of peers in physicians’ treatment of cardiovascular disease
Risk adjustment methodologies used in measuring hospital performance
The costs of opioid overdose-related hospitalizations
The association between alcohol-related hospitalizations and ABC licenses
Hospital readmissions among Virginia Medicare beneficiaries after the Affordable Care Act
Access to inpatient care by Virginia’s young adults
Role of maternal capabilities with child feeding and nutritional status
Standards of care for pregnant incarcerated women
Access to healthcare and racial disparities in health
Impact of the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) on individuals’ insurance take-up and health outcomes
Informal care provision for elderly parents
Role of environmental stress on early development
Effect of Medicare OPPS on hospital volume
Healthcare utilization patterns during economic recession
Physician-hospital integration and quality of care
Effects of economic recessions on Medicare beneficiaries