Policy Program Chair Candidacy Statements

Chris Chen
I'm Chris Chen, a junior in Currier studying MCB and Economics. I'm running to be IOP Policy
Program Chair because as co-chair of the Tobacco Control Policy Group, I've come to love this
program and the people in it, and believe in what it can do.

I will work aggressively to increase community and capacity. I'll create an all-policy email list to
encourage discussion and community; write formal program bylaws to ensure long-term
stability; hold more meaningful events in which community can be built; and hold policy group
chair orientations to ensure that all groups are fully aware of the IOP's resources. I also have
various ideas to increase the program's research capacity-- for example, perhaps building a senior
advisory panel of officials and professors that policy groups can work with more closely, rather
than leaving groups to fend for themselves in trying to contact high-profile professors.
I am not an IOP insider; I'm just someone who believes in what Harvard students can do. But as
a PBHA director, former managing editor of the Harvard Health Policy Review, and former
Kennedy health policy intern, I am an experienced student leader and fluent in policy, and will
bring best practices from various organizations into the IOP. I am highly accessible, committed
to transparency in decision-making, and I am so excited to be running to be a Policy Group chair.
If you have any questions, email me at chen@fas and I would love to talk!

Brad Paraszczak
The Policy Program has come very far under the leadership of Jon Gould and Sara Esty, and I'm
excited for the possibility of continuing their work as chair for the coming year. I currently co-
chair the Health Policy Group – a group researching the feasibility of universal healthcare via its
failures and successes in Iowa, Massachusetts and California – and hope to apply my experience
to the Program as a whole.

My main goals include:

1. Establishing stronger Policy Program community through more informal events. Friendships
built across multiple policy groups have positive effects for all policy groups—both boosting
morale and utilizing the knowledge of other members.
2. Working with IOP leadership to form successful connections with other IOP programs,
including Fellows & Study Groups. As a liaison for Governor Vilsack, I was able to use him as
an adviser to our Iowa Health Policy study. Fellows have the insight and recommendations
necessary for policy groups to effectively carry out their goals—all we must do is ask for advice.
3. Building a Contact Database where members can easily access contact information for
current and former policy specialists, including Fellows, professors across the country, and
policy advocates from around the world.

I am running for co-chair of the policy program not because leadership denotes immense
authority – I am running because leadership demands immense responsibility. Strengthening the
community within the Policy Program and IOP will allow us to build on the accomplishments of
the past year and ensure success in the future.