UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Devon Trolley will deliver the 27th annual Stanley P. Mayers Endowed Lecture, “The Journey of Health Care Reform: Creating and Sustaining Large-scale Change in a Constantly Shifting Landscape,” at 6 p.m. on April 1 in the Hintz Family Alumni Center on Penn State's University Park campus. The lecture, hosted by the Penn State Department of Health Policy and Administration, is free and open to the public. Viewing via Zoom webinar also will be available.
Prior to Trolley’s talk, finalists from the Marshal Raffel Student Showcase will present research posters. Student presentations will begin at 5 p.m., with a student awards ceremony beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Trolley, who graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in health policy and administration and a master of health administration, serves as executive director of Pennie, Pennsylvania’s health insurance marketplace.
As the United States continues to grapple with how to address the many issues facing our health care system, Trolley’s lecture will explore the continuing discussion of health care coverage at the national, state and local levels.
Trolley will share her experience implementing national-level health care reform initiatives, starting with her time working with the U.S. Senate on the Affordable Care Act, to launching the federal health insurance marketplace and running two different state-level health insurance marketplaces with the goal of expanding access to health coverage.
“I have firsthand experience with the many successes and barriers that come along with establishing and growing a national program,” Trolley said. “Adding to the complexity of this journey are the policy and political dynamics surrounding the Affordable Care Act and the significantly shifting health care landscape related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other changes.”
While the lecture will focus on implementing the Affordable Care Act, Trolley said the takeaways are applicable for various health care fields across policy, management, administration, research and leadership.
Trolley said her time at Penn State, including attending the Stanley P. Mayers Endowed Lecture as a student, expanded her perspective and piqued her interest in addressing broader health care system issues. Her story will provide similar insights and inspiration to current Penn State students and the community.
“Once the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, I knew I would dedicate the rest of my career to implementing, evaluating or changing it, and I was filled with excitement for that to be my purpose,” Trolley said. “I feel fortunate to be able to work on a program that directly improves lives by expanding access to health coverage and thus access to medical care. I hope sharing my experiences will support others who are undertaking similar endeavors.”
The annual Mayers Lecture was created in honor of the late Stanley P. Mayers Jr., co-founder of Penn State’s undergraduate program in health planning and administration (later, health policy and administration), who retired after a distinguished 26-year career at Penn State. Mayers served as the head of the department for nine years and also in roles as associate dean for undergraduate studies and associate dean for academic studies in the College of Health and Human Development.
See details on the 27th annual Stanley P. Mayers Endowed Lecture and learn more about the Penn State Department of Health Policy and Administration.