Public Health Faculty Spotlight: Winsor Schmidt

The former chair of Urban Health Policy at the University of Louisville School of Medicine is joining the College of Health and Human Services faculty.

Winsor Schmidt will sign on at UNC Charlotte as the Metrolina Medical Foundation Distinguished Professor of Public Policy on Health.

A licensed attorney and former law professor, Schmidt has taught public policy for nearly 40 years. He also directed the Health Policy and Administration program and Washington State University prior to accepting his most recent position at Louisville.

Schmidt said the nationally ranked health administration master’s program and extensive health public policy opportunities drew him to CHHS. A strong grad program was likely a necessary attribute of Schmidt’s next professional home; a former colleague characterized his career as displaying a “ferocious commitment to quality in graduate education.”

Schmidt’s path through higher education has been driven by an interest in health law and policy, as well as a passion for teaching and writing. His scholarship has been especially noteworthy in mental health policy on the elderly and disabled.

“Intriguing public policy questions about health and mental health policy and law,” continue to inspire his work, he said.

“For example, annual U.S. health care spending has reached almost $3 trillion and over 17% of the Gross Domestic Product, with universal health care access only for people over age 65 and with significant quality concerns. The aging of the population will probably exacerbate these challenges. What public policies on health do all of us want, especially as we age or experience a disability?”

Schmidt said he hopes to drive progress on these policies through his research, teaching and service at UNC Charlotte.

Winsor Schmidt has an undergraduate degree in government from Harvard, a law degree from American University, and an LL.M. in Mental Health Law from University of Virginia.

He joins the College of Health and Human Services faculty this fall.