Every major policy failure has something in common. The people closest to the problem were not in the room when decisions were made.

MISPA exists to change that. We are a training incubator and research hub for the next generation of systems thinkers across social work, public health, public policy, psychology, sociology, and beyond. We believe the students and professionals studying the most pressing issues of our time — poverty, mental health, housing, racial equity — deserve a professional pipeline that prepares them not just to study those systems, but to shape them.

Our roots are in social work, a field with a federal mandate to engage in policy and systemic change, yet one of the most underfunded and underestimated professions in that space. We noticed that gap first. But the problem extends far beyond one discipline. Across the social sciences, students and practitioners graduate with deep knowledge and no infrastructure to translate it into impact. MISPA is that infrastructure.

We build a critical micro-to-macro pipeline, equipping emerging and established professionals across the health, human services, and social sciences to analyze, navigate, and shape the public policies that impact community well-being.

Everything we build starts with listening to what students and practitioners actually need and ends with creating real access to the spaces they belong in. From research fellowships to policy workshops to professional development training, our approach is practical, interdisciplinary, and rooted in the understanding that proximity to the problem is a qualification, not a barrier.

Access. Action. Authenticity. We believe in equitable access for professionals and students who have been underrepresented in policy spaces. We believe policy engagement is a skill that can be taught and a professional right that should be accessible to all. And we believe in showing up authentically — as practitioners, as researchers, and as people who are closest to the communities we serve.