A new U.Va. Center for Health Policy will advocate unbiased, evidence-based solutions to nagging public health issues, in contrast to much of today’s “frozen” health policy thinking, say its founders.

The Political Psychology Working Group’s first-ever conference will bring some big-name scholars to Grounds to discuss how the unconscious mind could influence the way people vote in the 2012 election.

Students taking a course in the Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy spent the spring semester researching and crafting grant applications on behalf of five local nonprofit organizations. The effort paid off recently when Offender Aid and Restoration was awarded $20,000.