Student-led. Research-backed. Built to make a real difference in healthcare, ethics, and public policy.
HEPS exists to give students a real seat at the policy table. We train young researchers and advocates to study contested questions in healthcare, law, and ethics — and to produce the kind of rigorous, accessible work that actually moves decision-makers.
We believe the people most affected by a policy should have a voice in shaping it, and that’s especially true of the next generation.
Each cycle runs 8 weeks and follows the same structure — from picking an issue to putting real work in front of decision-makers.
The executive team selects a policy issue at the intersection of healthcare, law, and ethics — something contested, something that affects real people.
Members are assigned to teams by angle. Workshops cover reading studies, writing policy briefs, and arguing with evidence.
Teams dig into their angle. Each team contributes a section to the shared policy brief, reviewed weekly.
Teams present findings through public debate, awareness campaigns, social media, and community outreach.
The final brief is reviewed by the advisory board and submitted to decision-makers.
HEPS runs in 8-week cycles. Each cycle begins with the executive team selecting a contested policy question at the intersection of healthcare, law, and ethics — something that affects real people and doesn’t have an obvious answer.
Members are placed into small teams by angle: legal, medical, ethical, economic, or community-impact. Every team contributes a section to a shared policy brief. Weeks 1–2 are onboarding — workshops on reading studies, drafting briefs, and arguing with evidence. Weeks 3–6 are deep research and drafting, with weekly reviews from the advisory board. Week 7 is public — debates, campaigns, social media, community events. Week 8 is submission: the finished brief goes to decision-makers and into the HEPS public archive.
Over the course of a year, a HEPS chapter produces several polished policy briefs, a cohort of students who have practiced the craft of policy writing at a professional level, and a visible body of public work that communities and officials can point to.