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Karen is a health economist and health services researcher with extensive experience designing and leading mixed-methods evaluations for state and federal clients.

Specializing in Medicaid payment and delivery reform, care transformation, health disparities, and behavioral health and substance use disorder programs, Karen’s research aims to drive impactful improvements in health care systems. She helps clients design rigorous evaluations to assess whether their programs achieve desired outcomes, producing relevant findings to guide future health care policy and practice.

At NORC, Karen leads research teams for state clients including California, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Vermont, designing and managing CMS-approved evaluations for Medicaid Section 1115 Demonstrations. Additionally, she contributes her expertise in quantitative methods to large-scale evaluations for the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), including the Vermont All-Payer ACO and ACO REACH Model evaluations.

Karen’s work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including The American Journal of Managed CareHealth Services Research, and the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Education

PhD

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

MPH

Tufts University

BA

Tufts University

Project Contributions

Evaluation of the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model

Evaluating Vermont’s efforts to improve health outcomes and reduce health care spending

Client:

Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Evaluation of the ACO REACH Model

Evaluating the ACO REACH model that is transitioning Medicare from fee-for-service to value-based care

Client:

Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Vermont Global Commitment to Health Demonstration Evaluation

Understanding the impact of Vermont’s Global Commitment to Health Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver

Client:

Agency of Human Services, State of Vermont

Evaluating Rhode Island’s Medicaid Section 1115 Demonstration

Evaluation of programs implemented under Rhode Island’s Medicaid section 1115 demonstration

Client:

Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services

Evaluation of the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network

Evaluation of a multi-sectoral network addressing the impact of COVID-19 on various communities

Client:

DHHS Office of Minority Health

Publications