A passion for policy
Summer internship at Henry Ford Health transforms understanding of healthcare policy’s real-world impact
By Bob Cunningham
When Jessica Holloway analyzes a newly introduced state bill at Henry Ford Health’s Center for Health Policy and Health Services Research in Detroit, she’s not just reading legislation—she’s uncovering how policy decisions ripple through healthcare systems to ultimately impact patient care.
As part of one of Michigan’s only dedicated health system policy teams, the second-year Health Management and Policy student from the University of Michigan School of Public Health spent her summer internship tracking state and federal legislation, analyzing potential impacts, and helping determine how Henry Ford Health should respond.
“When a bill gets introduced, I analyze who it would impact, whether it applies to us, and then seek out feedback across our enterprise,” Holloway said. “We ask different departments how they see it impacting operations or their service lines, then provide that information to government affairs so they can decide how to act.”
This specialized work represents the culmination of experiences that began behind a pharmacy counter in North Carolina, where Holloway first witnessed how insurance policies, physician relationships and healthcare systems intersected to determine patient outcomes.
“Working as a pharmacy tech, I saw how relationships between doctors and insurance companies impacted how patients got care,” said Holloway, who earned a Bachelor of Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “I really started looking at healthcare as a broader sphere.”
That wider understanding led her from pre-med studies to public health, and ultimately to one of the most specialized policy internships available to graduate students at Michigan Public Health. For Holloway, who grew up in Maryland just outside Washington, DC, the transition from undergraduate studies in North Carolina to graduate work in Ann Arbor represented both geographic and academic evolution.
“I originally thought I wanted to pursue an MD-PhD track and work primarily in academic research,” she said.
But her pharmacy technician experience working with diverse communities, including many patients for whom English wasn’t their first language, shifted her perspective toward systemic health challenges.
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Finding Michigan Public Health
Michigan Public Health seemed like a natural next step for Holloway.
“There’s a very popular pipeline between Michigan and UNC in terms of students going between the two schools of public health,” she said.
What sealed her decision was an Admitted Student Day visit when she met with former Dean F. DuBois Bowman; Denise Anthony, the Rubin Department Chair of Health Management and Policy; and other department chairs.
“I realized this program had a lot that I was interested in, and I was really attracted by the alumni network and how engaged they are, especially with the Health Management and Policy program,” Holloway said.
That alumni network was essential. Her current supervisor, Alexandra Donnelly, HMP ’19, manager of Health Policy at Henry Ford Health, is not only a Michigan Public Health alumna, but also serves as a member of the Health Management and Policy alumni board. As a native Michigander who grew up in the Henry Ford Health system, Donnelly understands firsthand the value of creating opportunities for policy-focused students.
Equity is something that’s really important to me. We’re advancing healthcare in a lot of different ways, coming up with new innovations, but at the root of it, equity and access are really important because you want to be able to offer healthcare to the most marginalized communities.”
— Jessica Holloway
“I remember being a policy-focused student and not being able to find a lot of policy-specific
opportunities, particularly in the state of Michigan,” Donnelly said. “So, when I
got into a management position at Henry Ford Health, I knew that even one new internship
slot would relieve some of the anxiety from students like me.”
A unique policy structure
Henry Ford Health’s commitment to community engagement particularly attracted Holloway to the organization.
“They have really dedicated themselves to community engagement as a health system,” she said. “They recognize that they have an impact on the people they serve, but they’ve expanded that beyond just patients coming through their doors.”
The policy team’s unique structure sets it apart from typical health system operations. Unlike most organizations where policy work falls under government affairs, Henry Ford Health maintains a separate five-person policy team plus one intern, allowing for deep, focused analysis of state and federal legislation.
“Henry Ford Health is one of the only health systems—if not the only health system—in Michigan that has a separate policy team that sits separate from their government affairs team,” Holloway said. “That means my team really focuses on tracking and maintaining all that information in terms of state and federal policy, legislation or regulation that impacts the health system.”
The internship exposes students to both broad health policy issues that confront healthcare systems—such as federal payment regulations and the 340B drug program—as well as more granular concerns that students might not consider, Donnelly said.
“What if the state mandates a specific type of smoke ventilation for surgical smoke? How does local government impact hospital initiatives?” she said. “We want students to learn about the depth and breadth of what we work on every day.”
Holloway’s responsibilities included tracking state legislation, analyzing proposed bills for their potential impact on Henry Ford Health’s operations, and conducting comprehensive reviews of federal documents. One significant project involved summarizing the “Make America Healthy Again” report to help her team understand current federal administration attitudes and directives.
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A focus on equity
The diversity of her learning experiences reflects Holloway’s broader interests in public health equity and access. She brings a personal understanding to healthcare disparities that informs her professional perspective.
“Equity is something that’s really important to me,” she said. “We’re advancing healthcare in a lot of different ways, coming up with new innovations, but at the root of it, equity and access are really important because you want to be able to offer healthcare to the most marginalized communities.”
Her approach to equity extends beyond individual patient interactions to systemic change.
“If you take care of your sickest, then, as a whole, the community benefits,” she said.
This perspective aligns with Holloway’s growing interest in social determinants of health.
“Food is important, environments are important, housing is important,” she said. “When you have those core things taken care of, then we can address worse health outcomes and more chronic conditions.”
Discovering state policy
The internship has significantly influenced Holloway’s understanding of policy’s role across different governmental levels. Initially, like many students, her attention focused primarily on federal policy due to its visibility in news coverage and public discourse.
“As you grow up, typically a lot of your attention is put on federal policy because that’s what’s in the news more,” she said. “But this role has really opened my eyes—states really do control a lot of money, have their own budgets, and make decisions that can impact different communities.”
This revelation has expanded her career considerations.
“We’re seeing federally that a lot of things are being pushed and decided and given to the states,” Holloway said.
“Jessica’s internship at Henry Ford Health is a perfect example of the amazing relationships that make Michigan Public Health so special—the intersection of policy and management, the network opportunities between outstanding students and dedicated alumni like Alex Donnelly, the links between the classroom and the field, and the connections between the university and community stakeholders.”
— Denise Anthony, the Rubin Department Chair of Health Management and Policy
The experience has confirmed her commitment to healthcare policy while broadening her perspective on where that work might take place.
“It has definitely confirmed that I want to be in this policy space and that I really do want to work in healthcare policy,” said Holloway, who is supported by the S.J. Axelrod and Eugene Feingold Memorial, Selena Brown and PHSAD Alumni scholarships.
Working closely with the government affairs team has expanded Holloway’s understanding of how politics and policy intersect in real-world applications.
“It’s given me the ability to understand how things are moving and how politics is impacting policy,” she said. “You get a sense of what health systems are in favor of, what insurance is in favor of, and what the disagreements might be between the two.”
This nuanced understanding has proved to be invaluable for someone planning a career in health policy.
“There are a lot of different roles and moving parts in this space, which means there’s a lot of opportunity,” she said. “I’ve learned an appreciation for the things that are being done and discovered there’s a wealth of opportunity in this space.”
A pipeline for success
The Henry Ford Health internship has become a well-established pathway for Michigan Public Health students, particularly those in the Health Management and Policy program. Holloway was the second Health Management and Policy student to complete the internship, following Hafsa Usman, MPH ’25, who served as the inaugural intern.
For Donnelly, the collaboration represents both professional and personal fulfillment.
“I always say that Health Management and Policy provides you the toolbox to be successful in any policy work,” she said.
Anthony concurred, emphasizing how this internship showcases the program’s strengths and embodies the Life-Changing Education students receive at Michigan Public Health.
“Jessica’s internship at Henry Ford Health is a perfect example of the amazing relationships that make Michigan Public Health so special—the intersection of policy and management, the network opportunities between outstanding students and dedicated alumni like Alex Donnelly, the links between the classroom and the field, and the connections between the university and community stakeholders,” Anthony said.
“All of these factors come together in Health Management and Policy to provide our students with the tools they need to be successful for the rest of their careers and to return the favor in the future as dedicated alumni themselves.”
The internship culminates with a policy brief and presentation, allowing students to demonstrate the analysis and communication skills they’ve developed.
“Jessica has been an excellent summer intern, ready to work on any policy issues and work as a real member of the team this summer,” Donnelly said.
For Holloway, the experience has validated her career direction while opening new possibilities. Her ultimate goal remains consistent with many public health professionals: “I want what most people want who go into public health—to make communities healthier,” she said.
“Policy governs who can do what—it governs directives, it governs where the money goes, it governs what you can do to help the most people,” she said. “For the kind of high-level system change, but even the nuances of expanding access to care and quality of care, a lot of those things are rooted in what gets decided at the policy level.”
The Henry Ford Health internship has proved to be more than just a summer experience for Holloway; it’s a foundation for a career dedicated to making healthcare more equitable and accessible for all communities.
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