Projects, Keynotes, and Publications

For over 25 years, I have worked at the intersection of racial equity, health equity, and public policy. I help leaders at public institutions, nonprofits, philanthropy, and community organizations find sparks of possibility and turn them into practical projects that improve lives.

Major Projects

Following are some of the projects and accomplishments I have led or helped establish. 

Capitol Collaborative on Race and Equity (CCORE)

Launched CCORE with state government and the Government Alliance on Race and Equity to help agencies move from commitment to action. Supported over 500 government racial equity practitioners and strengthened equity structures across 60 state organizations.

States Advancing Racial Equity (SARE)

Established SARE in partnership with the Government Alliance on Race and Equity to build racial equity leadership capacity across more than 30 states.

California Health in All Policies Task Force

Chaired the Task Force for over 10 years, driving multi-agency efforts across transportation, housing, food access, violence prevention, and more. Normalized racial equity as a foundational principle of HiAP statewide. Co-authored the widely used Health in All Policies: A Guide for State and Local Governments (APHA and Public Health Institute, 2013), now a global training resource.

California Racial Equity Commission

Provided technical assistance and relationship brokering in support of the creation and implementation of the California Racial Equity Commission.

Health and Equity Program, California Strategic Growth Council

Led the successful state budget proposal that secured general fund dollars to establish this program.

Global HiAP Field-Building

Contributed to the international Health in All Policies field through partnerships with the World Health Organization, Global Network for HiAP, and APHA. Presented the California case example at international conferences in Adelaide, Tampere, and Ottawa, and published in peer-reviewed journals and WHO-convened volumes.

Mentorship and Leadership Development

Served as preceptor and editor to graduate researchers producing policy reports including:

  • Reimagining Community Safety: Coordinating Violence Prevention to Help California Thrive (2024)

  • Racial Equity Policy & Budget Framework for California (2023)

  • Advancing Racial Equity in California State Government (2023)

  • Beyond Violence Prevention: Promoting Safety in California (2021)

Keynotes and Presentations

I offer keynotes and plenary addresses that connect the policy landscape to practical action on health equity and racial justice. Each talk is tailored to the audience, whether general audiences, government leaders, public health professionals, or academic settings, and to their specific goals and political context. My aim is to leave people energized, clear on their opportunities, and ready to act.

Recent topics and audiences include:

Impacts and Lessons Learned from 15 Years of HiAP in Action: California Health in All Policies Task Force (2025)

Health in All Policies in Times of Change: Questions for the Next Generation of Health and Racial Equity Work: Panel Discussion with Washington, D.C, and Fairfax County, VA. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting (2025)

Negotiating for Health: Graduate course module, University of Pennsylvania (2024)

Navigating Health and Equity In All Policies through Changing Times: Plenary presentation to 20-country Seminar to launch WHO HiAP Collaborating Centre, Tampere, Finland (2023)

Setting the Stage for HiAP in Nashville: Keynote address to Nashville's inaugural Health in All Policies Summit (2022)

From Ideas to Action: Implementing Racial Equity in Government: Plenary “Fireside Chat” at Closing Session of Government Alliance on Race and Equity National Membership Meeting, Albuquerque (2019)

The River Bends Towards Health in All Policies: Keynote address to Kent County Health Department HiAP Summit, Grand Rapids (2017)

Presentation on the California HiAP case example: International HiAP Conference, Adelaide, South Australia, convened by the South Australian government and WHO (2017)

The River Bends Towards Health in All Policies: Keynote address to New Mexico Public Health Association Annual Meeting (2015)

Selected Publications

Following are collaborative publications that I have written or contributed to in a meaningful way.

'Health In All Policies’ Is An Effective Governance Framework. Why Have Our Leaders Ignored It? 2026 • A. Maybank, W. Jordan, J. Khaldun, J. Caplan • Health Affairs Forefront

Makes the case for Health in All Policies as a proven, actionable governance framework that leaders across sectors have overlooked, and why that needs to change. 

Making Racial Equity Work Last: Organizing Lessons from California State Government 2026 • J. Caplan • State of Equity and Government Alliance for Race and Equity

Offers practical lessons for practitioners, government leaders, funders, and community partners working to make racial equity a durable feature of public institutions. Draws from the expertise of staff at SOE and GARE, as well as hundreds of government workers.

Advancing Collaborative Governance: A 15-Year Retrospective on the California Health in All Policies Task Force 2025 • J. Caplan & C. Gutierrez • State of Equity

Documents 15 years of lessons and impacts from one of the most sustained Health in All Policies efforts in the United States.

Progress and Recommendations: California’s Safe and Equitable Communities Roundtable 2025 • C. Gutierrez, J. Caplan & E. Needle • State of Equity

Assesses progress and charts recommendations for coordinated state action on community safety and equity in California.

A Practice-Grounded Approach for Evaluating Health in All Policies Initiatives in the United States 2017 • L. Gase, T. Schooley, M. Lee, S. Rotakhina, J. Vick & J. Caplan • Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

Peer-reviewed framework for evaluating the effectiveness of HiAP initiatives, grounded in real-world practice.

Progressing the Sustainable Development Goals through Health in All Policies: Case Studies from Around the World 2017 • Eds. V. Lin & I. Kickbusch • WHO / Department for Health and Ageing

International volume on HiAP implementation; Co-authored the California chapter, used as a global case example.

Health in All Policies: A Guide for State and Local Governments 2013 • L. Rudolph, J. Caplan, K. Ben-Moshe & L. Dillon • American Public Health Association and Public Health Institute

A practical resource for government leaders on integrating health equity across agencies and sectors. Widely used as a global training tool, this has been cited over 400 times.

Health in All Policies: Improving Health Through Intersectoral Collaboration 2013 • L. Rudolph, J. Caplan, C. Mitchell, K. Ben-Moshe & L. Dillon • Institute of Medicine

Examines how cross-sector collaboration can advance health outcomes, prepared for the Institute of Medicine.