Newswise — University of Alabama at Birmingham experts are available for comment in response to policy and healthcare topics presented at the 2019 State of the Union Address. 

  • Michael Saag, M.D., has received word today that President Trump intends to pledge a strategy to end HIV transmissions by 2030. Dr. Saag is one of the world’s leading HIV/AIDS researchers and is available to speak about any HIV-related information as a response. Thirty years ago, he founded UAB’s 1917 Clinic and since its inception, has treated more than 12,000 patients across Alabama and the Southeast, a region in true need of comprehensive care and treatment of HIV. Saag has been instrumental in the growth of Ryan White Early Intervention Service funding, and UAB receives more funding than any other clinic in the country. Saag has published more than 400 articles in peer reviewed journals, including the first description of the quasispecies nature of HIV (Nature, 1988). 

Other experts we will have available this week on healthcare costs/insurance/policy in reaction to SOTU include:

  • Allyson Hall, Ph.D., is a professor in the UAB Department of Health Administration and has expertise in health care policy, including the Affordable Care Act, federal and state health policy issues and Medicaid. Hall has studied improving healthcare access and systems for vulnerable populations for three decades, and has a long-standing interest in Medicaid with work aimed at improving healthcare access and systems for vulnerable populations for three decades.
  • David Becker, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the UAB Department of Health Care Organization and Policy and has expertise in health care policy, health, labor and regulatory economics and other policy issues. Becker studies health care policy and stays up-to-date on current legislation. He is able to break down these complex government policies in a relatable way.
  • Fernando Ovalle, M.D., is an associate professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism. Recently, the cost of insulin has increased, leaving patients with the dilemma of figuring out how to pay for their life-saving medication. He is able to address the changes that led to these increased prices, and what happens when someone isn't able to pay for and use their insulin.
  • Larry Powell, Ph.D., is a professor in the UAB Department of Communication Studies and has expertise in the areas of Political communication, State and local political campaigns and Mass communication. Powell has studied political communication and campaigns for 40 years, including ten years of experience working as a political consultant for local and state campaigns for both the Democratic and Republican parties.

  • Robert Blanton, Ph.D., is a professor in the UAB Department of Political Science and Public Administration. Blanton specializes in the area of international political economy, particularly the “human face” of the global economy. Much of his current work deals with the intersection of human rights, the global economic system, and examining how different facets of the global economy – including the investment decisions of multinational corporations, global trade or the actions of international financial institutions such as the IMF and World Bank - either influence or are influenced by different types of human rights, such as personal integrity rights, labor rights and women’s rights.

  • Peter Jones, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the UAB Department of Political Science and Public Administration. Jones expertise includes Public budgeting and finance, education finance and policy, econometrics and research methods. Broadly, his research focuses on public budgeting and finance, and in particular, he examines K-12 funding and the financial ramifications of various education policy issues.

UAB also has a full-service broadcast studio and team that can facilitate interviews for TV or radio and provide b-roll on request.