Benjamin Springgate Named Health and Aging Policy Fellow
Leslie Capo, Director of Information Services
Benjamin Springgate, MD MPH, Chief of Community & Population Medicine at LSU Health
New Orleans School of Medicine, is one of 14 members of the 2022 Class of Health and
Aging Policy Fellows at the Columbia University-based national program and the only
Fellow from Louisiana. The one-year fellowship provides a unique opportunity for professionals
in health and aging to work with offices in Congress, the Executive branch, or a non-government
organization (NGO) to gain expertise in health and aging policy issues. Paired with
expertise in their disciplines, fellows become leaders who help shape policies affecting
older Americans. The 2022-2023 group begins its fellowship year on October 1, 2022.
Dr. Springgate is also a professor of Medicine and Health Policy and Systems Management and directs the Center for Healthcare Value and Equity at LSU Health New Orleans. Additionally, he serves as Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Medicine; and directs the MD/MPH Dual Degree program. A practicing internist, Dr. Springgate leads a multidisciplinary team in the LSU Health Integrated Health Clinic at University Medical Center-New Orleans, caring for patients with opioid use disorder. He also serves as Chief Health Officer of the New Orleans Public Schools.
Dr. Springgate notes, “I am grateful to the leadership at LSU Health-New Orleans as well as to the directors of the Health and Aging Policy Fellowship for this opportunity to learn and contribute to the health of aging and older adults.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates on July 1, 2021, 16.5 percent of Louisiana’s population was aged 65 years and older.