Podcast

Episode 33: Policy Solutions for Health and Well-Being

7 April 2025

Red text on black background reads "Let's Talk Poverty." Surrounding circles show a stethoscope, policy text, a city skyline, and hands joined, conveying social themes.
In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Tessa Penich connects with Dr. David Campbell and Dr. Amity Quinn about the Health Policy Trials Unit at the University of Calgary to explore the intersection of poverty and health, and how developing proven, evidence-based policy interventions can improve the health and well-being of individuals in our community. 

Published 7 April 2025

Last Updated 7 April 2025

Promotional image for "Let's Talk Poverty" with Dr. David Campbell and Dr. Amity Quinn featuring their photos. Hosted by University of Calgary's Policy and Health Unit.
For World Health Day, we wanted to know: 
How do we improve health outcomes for Calgarians living in poverty? 
How can small interventions, like financial incentives, impact patient and physician behavior? 
Why is it important for academic researchers and community organizations to work collaboratively? 
In this episode of Let's Talk Poverty, Tessa Penich connects with Dr. David Campbell and Dr. Amity Quinn about the Health Policy Trials Unit at the University of Calgary to get answers to these questions and explore the intersection of poverty and health, and how developing proven, evidence-based policy interventions can improve the health and well-being of individuals in our community. 
In this episode 
  • Learn about the Health Policy Trials Unit at the University of Calgary, which tests health policy interventions in the real world to guide future policy direction, rather than analyzing existing policy. 
  • Discover how different policy trials surprised the researchers with their findings, proving that certain policy proposals look good on paper but do not move the needle for low-income Calgarians. Similarly, small interventions sometimes had outsized positive impacts on health outcomes. 
Three key takeaways 
  • Simple policy solutions, such as $10/month food subsidies, can lead to improved health outcomes for low-income Calgarians living with chronic illnesses like diabetes. 
  • Collaboration between academics and community partners can lead to more fulsome policy proposals as more aspects of client need and lived experience are explored. 
  • Enhancing women's health is critical in improving the overall health of all Calgarians, as research demonstrates that advancing health outcomes for women has profound and far-reaching benefits. 
About Dr. Amity Quinn 
Dr. Amity  Quinn is a health economist and health services researcher at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. She received her PhD in Social Policy from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and postdoctoral fellowship in health economics at the University of Calgary. As co-director of the Health Policy Trials Unit, she studies health system performance to improve access to high value care for women and other marginalized and vulnerable populations. 
About Dr. David Campbell 
Dr. David Campbell is a medical specialist in Endocrinology & Metabolism and a health services researcher focused on social disparities and their impacts on clinical outcomes of cardiometabolic diseases, like diabetes. He is the co-director of the Health Policy Trials Unit at the O'Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary. His work aims to minimize the impact of social inequality on health outcomes by informing health policy and clinical practice. 
 
Useful Information/Resources/ Show Notes: 
Subscribe to Let's Talk Poverty on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
Share your thoughts. Have an idea for us to explore or a question for us? Send us a message!

Focus Areas

Tags

Attribution

  • Tessa Penich

  • Dr. Amity Quinn

  • Dr. David Campbell

Related Podcasts