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Public Health Agents of Change

Many individuals from around the globe have played a crucial role in advancing the field of public health. These prominent figures have been extraordinary agents of social change. They opened the doors to public health, worked to eradicate and/or control diseases, developed methods for family planning, and educated the public about the importance of healthy behaviors and the social and health consequences of racism and discrimination. They established their role in maintaining individual and community health.

Review the Learning Resources provided in this module and think about the challenges that the public health figures experienced and the contributions each person has made to social change. It is recommended that you start with the provided resources as there are many available on these figures, some of which may not be of suitable quality for scholarship. However, you will likely need to find additional scholarly resources to complete this assignment. Consider the quality of the resource before using and be sure to cite all sources used in your paper.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Your Instructor has provided the topic for this paper. If you do not receive your topic within 14 days of the deadline, be sure to ask the Instructor.

Review the Module 2 Assignment Learning Resources related to historical events and figures in public health. (click to expand/reduce)

In addition to the resources provided, familiarize yourself with the Walden University resources below for your Assignment. The Walden Academics Skills Center and Writing Center offer many resources to help students with their writing. Throughout your academic program at Walden, you will be required to use APA style for all your written assignments. Also, when writing at the graduate level, it is important that you use evidence from the resources and other scholarly sources to support your work. As such, it will be critical that you properly cite and reference your work.

Below are a few Writing Center links to get you started: (click to expand/reduce)

Review the following media: (click to expand/reduce)

The Assignment

• Submit a 3- to 5-page paper (not including title page and references) addressing the two agents of change as assigned by your Instructor.
  • Include a title page in APA format.
  • Include an APA-formatted section header for each section.
    • Describe the innovative, public health related activities that the two agents of social change were (or have been) involved with during their lifetime.
    • Compare and contrast the challenges the social change agents experienced in conducting their activities and the strategies each person used to overcome them.
    • Discuss and compare the impact the agents of social change had (or have had) on current public health systems.
    • Analyze the importance of and implications of the social change agents activities for positive social change.
    • Provide a brief reflection on how one or more achievements of these agents of social change may relate to you personally.
• Be sure to cite the resources you used within your assignment using APA format for in-text citation and include a reference list at the end of your paper.
• Make sure you follow APA format for all aspects of your paper.

Legalizing Marijuana in the State of Maryland

What is an Op-Ed?
Op-ed stands for opposite editorial. Instead of a typical article written by a newspaper employee, it
is a strong opinion held by a community member unaffiliated with the newspaper. These are typically
argumentative essays in support for your side of the issue. Therefore, in this paper you will choose
any topic related to health/health care in the US that you are strongly passionate about and argue for
your personal opinion. You must use evidence from doing research to support your arguments.
Before you start:
 Read these instructions fully and then click the hyperlinks found in this document and review
the content for advice and guidance on writing a great opinion editorial.
 The idea for this assignment is to serve as a contrast to the midterm regarding writing style,
tone, jargon, etc.—formal research paper versus informal opinion piece.
 Choose a topic you are truly passionate about. Seriously, I cannot stress this enough. Almost
any topic can be related to healthcare so please do not hesitate to email me with ideas for my
feedback.
 Use Grammarly! It’s free to create an account if you don’t have one. Just remember that it’s a
software and occasionally suggests fixes that are incorrect.
 Read some editorials from the opinion section of your local newspaper’s website, the
NY Times and Washington Post (the two most prestigious op-ed sections) to get a good
understanding of the tone and style of good op-eds.
Overview
Choose an ongoing issue that you find important which is currently in the news and relevant to this
course. This topic should have a direct impact on CT (or your home state or country’s) citizens. Write
an Op-Ed arguing for one side of the issue. Write the op-ed like you plan on sending it to the Hartford
Courant or the New Haven Register (or your local newspaper) for publication in their Opinion

HLTH 2200-01W Summer 2022 MT1
section. The US Healthcare System is large and encompasses numerous topics, so I intentionally left
the essay topic parameters broad so that each of you can find a topic you are truly passionate about.
For example, the most creative paper I have read was about the picture painted of the social, health,
and health care inequity in a student’s favorite hip-hop album. The student defended the
violent/drug-related lyrics by convincingly explaining that the hip-hop artist is only rapping about
his life—w hat he sees and experiences on a daily basis, arguing that those who come from a
‘privileged background’ should view hip-hop as a glimpse into the lives of a particular
disenfranchised population rather than criticize it for its vulgarity.
Examples of common topics include, but are not limited to: health equity & justice, discrimination in
healthcare, ACA public option expansion, universal healthcare, the opioid epidemic, cutting edge
technologies and innovations, health education, legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana (at the state
or federal level, respectively), pharmaceutical industry, lobbyists, politics, a component of your
current or prospective career field and its relation to healthcare, etc. Whatever you choose for a topic,
make sure that there is a clear and explicit link to the US healthcare system or the healthcare system
of your home country if you are an international student and would like to focus on that.
Audience
Your op-ed must be 1,500-2,500 words long. You may (and are encouraged to) use a first-person
perspective. In contrast to the midterm essay, you may use “informal” language like contractions (e.g.,
I’m rather than I am). Keep your paragraphs short and engaging, 3-5 sentences. Some ‘paragraphs’
can be a single sentence or even a single word if it is impactful!
The tone should not be passive; this is an issue you are passionate about, so make sure the
essay reads like it by using an active voice!
An op-ed should not read like a formal research paper (e.g., the midterm essay)—your goal is for
‘everyday people’ to read your opinion in the newspaper or online news outlet and gain their support
on the issue. The majority of your audience are not experts in the health field, and many are clueless
about the healthcare system in general, so make sure to avoid using excessive jargon. The trick is to
write it so that your family member who knows nothing about your topic will ‘get it’ by the time they
finish reading your essay. All citations should be in the form of a hyperlink to the primary source; the
op-ed should not contain a references section/bibliography at the bottom of the paper.
Assignment Requirements

HLTH 2200-01W Summer 2022 MT1
ï‚· A strong argumentative paper that avoids passive language!
ï‚· Title of your paper should be at the top of the first page in large, bolded font (like at the top
of this document)
o Do not create a title page or write an abstract.
ï‚· Any professional font at size 11 or 12
ï‚· Double or 1.5 space with standard margins (which is the default in Word)
ï‚· A space in between paragraphs
 Your name as the running header at the top of each page (where it says ‘HLTH 2200-01W’ on
this document)
ï‚· Page numbers at the bottom of each page (center or right)
ï‚· Hyperlinked citations
o Like I have done on this document; again, click the hyperlinks I have created
instructions for guides and tips on writing a strong paper and hyperlinking in Word.
o Do not include a bibliography at the end of the paper.
 An original subtitle related to your topic for each ‘significant’ section of the paper, except for
the introduction. Please be creative with what you title each section! Just try to keep it five
words or less.
Sample Outline Template (‘Significant’ sections in italics)
 Introduction: Introduction to your paper and identifying the central issue of your
argument/opinion)
o Subtitle is unnecessary here because it should be right under the main title of the
paper
 Background: Background information detailing the central issue you’re writing about
o What is the issue/problem?
o When did it happen and what led to it?
o Why is it important for the general public to be aware of it? And why is it important
for society that it is addressed and/or solved? (Basically, why should the reader
care?)
o How should the problem be addressed? (This should be your thesis statement)
 Thesis statement: One sentence at the end of your ‘Background’ section that
succinctly describes your idea on how to address the issue

HLTH 2200-01W Summer 2022 MT1
 Supporting statements: Evidence that supports your plan on addressing the issue
o This should be the ‘meat’ of your essay and well researched.
 Opposing viewpoints: Identifying and addressing opposing viewpoints
o What are the biggest and strongest arguments from “the other side”? (Often political)
o Your rebuttals (How would you defend your stance/proposal to those critics and
what is your evidence?)
 Conclusion: Short recap reminding why the reader should care about the issue, your plan on
how to address it, and your thoughts on the first steps the get the ball rolling (E.g., Politicians
need to draft a bill, etc.)
Want to get your work published in the paper?
Submitting your assignment to a newspaper or other news outlet for publication is not mandatory,
however, I encourage you to give it a shot if you are proud of your work and want the public to know.
Please notify me if you wish to submit it for publication and I will work with you to edit your paper,
so it fits the submission requirements. Typically, this means cutting it down to 750 or less words. I
have had students successfully publish this assignment in the past, including this very W section last
summer so don’t sell yourself short if you are proud of your work!

My title is what I pick as my essay, Maryland currently has decriminalized marijuana so why don’t they just legalize it overall.

Policy Brief Essay

Topic Overview

Health disparities among marginalized populations (e.g., people of color, the LGTBQ+ community, women, the homeless, the incarcerated, etc.) and populations from underserved areas (e.g., inner-city neighborhoods with high population densities and high poverty rates and rural areas with low population densities and high poverty rates) is one of the biggest problems that the US Healthcare system has faced and still faces today.

Your assignment is to choose a vulnerable population and examine disparities in health and health care compared to the rest of the U.S. population. Consider the following questions as a guide to get started.

• Which population are you choosing?

• What is/are the most significant disparity/disparities they face?

• What are the underlying causes of these disparities?

• How did they initially develop?

• Have they improved, regressed, or stayed the same?

• How come? (E.g., complex problem that requires significant time and funding; public apathy; lack of action by government, etc.)

• Why is this issue important for society? (Why should your audience care?)

• What actions need to be taken by policymakers (politicians, leaders in healthcare/medicine, ultra-wealthy business leaders) and other voices who hold influence over society (e.g., celebrities, media outlets, major social media influencers, etc.) in order to address the underlying issues to close the disparity gap for your chosen population?

Audience and Writing Style

The audience you are writing this essay for are people who read Health Affairs (a prestigious journal read by academics, clinicians, researchers, and other various experts in the field). The essay should be in the form of a policy brief that you hope to have published in a journal that has a similar scope and reach of Health Affairs. Before writing a single word, make sure to read/skim some policy briefs on the Health Affairs website to get a good understanding of an appropriate format, style, tone, and language of your paper.

Each paper must contain three clear sections a beginning, middle, and end. You can (and should) have subsections within each of the three to properly organize your thoughts for clarity to the reader.

The beginning section should introduce and detail the topic overall, then discuss the issues that need to be addressed and why it’s important, then capped off with your thesis statement. There must be a clearly identifiable one-sentence long thesis statement at the end of your beginning section. (Make sure to click the hyperlink in the previous sentence for tips on what to do and not to do when formulating your thesis statement.)

The middle section should focus on supporting your thesis statement using evidence from your research, and should be the “meat” of the paper. If your thesis is a plan or proposal of some sort, the middle section should also be used to detail the specifics of your plan while explaining your reasoning.

The final section can identify and address potential criticisms, barriers, limitations, etc., and conclude with a very brief recap of your thesis and argument to drive the point home. If your paper’s thesis is a proposal/solution to address a problem of some sort, you can end with what you believe are the first steps to get the ball rolling.

This is a formal essay that is intended for academics, healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers so please make sure that your writing tone is appropriate and your essay does not contain poor grammar, spelling errors, use of first-person perspective (e.g., “I think” or “My opinion is”), or contractions (e.g., “they’re” should be written out as they are”).

Note: I strongly recommend using Grammarly to check your work after completing your first draft! It is free to create an account if you don’t have one and it will catch 90-95% of issues that are easy to miss. It is a software AI, however, and therefore not perfect; so go with your gut if you disagree with its suggestion.

Essay Requirements

• Your essay must include a title page and abstract. It must be 2,000-3,000 words long (not including title page, abstract, and bibliography). It must include:

• Any appropriate/professional font of your choosing at size 11 or 12.

• Either 1.5 or double spacing with standard default margins.
• The title page and abstract should be single spaced.

• A title page.
• In MS Word, you can click “Insert > Cover Page” for a number of pre-made title pages, some with a dedicated area for an abstract. While you do not have to use any of these, I strongly recommend it because it will save you time while giving it a little style.

• Abstract with 3-5 sentences—either towards the bottom of the title page, or at the top of the next page, above your introduction.

• Original subtitles for each section and subsection of your paper. Put the subtitle for each of the three ‘big’ sections of your paper in bold while italicizing the titles for subsections within the big three.  Be creative, but keep it short—five words max.

• For example—I’ve used Misguided Views as my subtitle for the section where I identified and addressed opposing viewpoints tin a paper I wrote. Look at various briefs on Health Affairs for more examples.

• Page numbers at the bottom of each page (middle or right side of the paper).

• Your name along with the title of your essay in the running header of each page. (Up where it says HLTH 2200-01W on this document.)

• A bibliography at the end—you may use any citation style you wish (MLA, APA, AMA, Chicago) as long as it is consistent for all citations.

• I suggest using the endnotes function for your bibliography because it helps with organization, but this is not a requirement. If you do use it, make sure you use endnotes and NOT footnotes. Endnotes will appear at the very end of your paper while footnotes will appear on the bottom of whatever page your citation is on.

• Your essay must include a minimum of five to ten (5-10) citations with at least three (3) from peer reviewed journals.

• When you are doing your research, in addition to the databases available through the university library, I strongly recommend using Google Scholar instead of Google. This way, most of your results will be peer-reviewed articles.

• Another great resource to find primary sources in journals is by looking at the citations in the article you are reading because the primary source will almost certainly be cited.

• You must always use primary sources for your citations, regardless of whether it is from an academic journal or if you are citing statistics.

• Primary sources for statistics will likely come from the HHS (including all of the departments within it like the CDC and NIH) website or states’ department of public health websites.