The purpose of this course is to enable HKS students with a medical background to practice writing essays that combine insights derived from clinical medicine with policy considerations. A secondary goal of the course is to get MD-MPP students started on the Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE). The course combines reading, writing, and feedback in a workshop format. We will be reading articles by doctor-writers like Atul Gawande, Daniela Lamas, and others. At the end of the course, students will have identified a clinical encounter that raises a policy question that they would like to explore in greater depth, and will have completed a draft of the PAE prospectus. In addition, students may also finalize a narrative medicine essay for submissions to journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine (Perspectives), or JAMA (A Piece of My Mind).
Please note, SUP-151M is offered February 5 – May 1, 2026.