Dr. Magda Schaler Haynes

Biography

Magda Schaler-Haynes is a Professor at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Mailman School of Public Health, specializing in Health Policy Management and Population Family Health. She offers a unique perspective as a former senior government official with a robust academic background in state health policy, public health law, reproductive and maternal health, and professional licensure regulation within the healthcare workforce. Professor Schaler-Haynes leads initiatives on public health law and civic engagement at the Center for Public Health Systems. She is a co-Project Principal Investigator for a CDC initiative aimed at strengthening public health law curricula nationwide. Her teaching encompasses Public Health Law, Abortion Law Policy, Health Policy Innovation, and Governance and Ethics. Her current research interests focus on designing nonpartisan, evidence-based legislative and regulatory initiatives to improve public health outcomes. Before joining the full-time faculty in 2022, she served in the administration of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy as a Senior Advisor and was a crucial part of the COVID-19 emergency response team. She has also held leadership roles in the New Jersey Department of Health and has significant experience in legislative, regulatory, and judicial strategy matters related to health reform. Professor Schaler-Haynes has also contributed as adjunct faculty at Columbia from 2008 to 2022 and has an academic background with degrees from Brandeis University and Columbia University.

Research Interests