Recent graduate Rachel Davidson Raycraft (MPP/JD ’20) discusses her work as a 2019-20 World Economic Forum Research Assistant and participation in their ongoing project with the Inter-American Development Bank and Colombian Inspector General’s Office on blockchain-based procurement.  

It is estimated that only 2% of people around the world have access to mental health and psychosocial support, or MHPSS. The question is, will COVID-19 offer us a chance to change this? Batten’s Kirsten Gelsdorf and Lucy Bassett provide critical insights into the barriers to progress in MHPSS interventions, and identify opportunities to prioritize and invest in new programs going forward.

Local leaders like Batten's Brooke Ray say the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a sharp increase in unemployment claims across the commonwealth and the country, is exacerbating existing problems like food insecurity, especially where systemic issues already existed.

Today, the Batten School and the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) announced the winners of the 2020 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition—the largest student simulation competition in higher education. There were 64 teams competing at seven sites around the globe, devising and implementing public transport policies in order to create improved sustainability strategies for their virtual cities.

For the second expert chat in the Batten School’s series on the novel coronavirus, Professor Kirsten Gelsdorf discussed how the humanitarian community is rising to the challenges the virus presents. 

Batten's Kirsten Glesdorf and David Leblang, along with Alison Criss from UVA’s School of Medicine and Rebecca Dillingham from the Center for Global Health at the University of Virginia, write about actions to take to develop a preparedness plan and be a good neighbor during the COVID-19 crisis. 

Batten School professors Kirsten Gelsdorf and Lucy Bassett create international collaborations to help solve problems of crisis and conflict.

Batten's Lucy Bassett and the Charlottesville-based nonprofit Project Adelante are conducting research at the Matamoros refugee camp near the Texas border – a spot that is featured in one of Springsteen’s songs.

Batten Professor Bala Mulloth and UVA Engineering Professor Gaurav Giri have been awarded $100,000 for their work to mobilize students to learn about and help address the global air pollution crisis.

Every year, hundreds of master’s candidates from member institutions of NASPAA — the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration — participate in the NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition, co-hosted by Batten's Center for Leadership Simulation and Gaming, to see who can devise the best solutions to international crises.