Experience

Aurrera Health Group

• United States
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Associate Director

  • Feb 2023 - Present

  Associate Director on the Integrated Care team, responsible for overseeing implementation of several CalAIM behavioral health initiatives, including Behavioral Health Administrative Integration and Documentation Redesign - Manage project timelines for the Department of Health Care Services to ensure timely implementation of project milestones - Create presentations and author research memos and public-facing materials for the Department to ensure projects are implemented with opportunities for external stakeholder engagement and collaboration - Manage and mentor junior staff on project-related deliverables Show less



Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services

• United States
• Government Administration
• 400 - 500 Employee

• Senior Policy Manager

  • Apr 2021 - Feb 2023

  Office of Behavioral Health policy lead for overseeing implementation of new network of Community Behavioral Health Centers; managing relationship between MassHealth and the behavioral health vendor overseeing provider network; participating in the procurement of these new providers alongside state agency and vendor colleagues - Oversaw regulatory changes central to the redesign of the behavioral health system, including those for CBHCs and other new programs and policies - Managed development of new and expanded behavioral health benefits and programs, including peer supports, workforce development initiatives, and behavioral health urgent care - Programmatic lead for initiatives to address and reduce emergency department boarding by increasing inpatient psychiatric bed capacity, altering inpatient psychiatric payment mechanisms, and shifting the locus of emergency behavioral health care out of emergency departments and into communities - Collaborated with MassHealth teams and external state agencies to inform policy development and presented new policies and programs to senior leadership Show less



Massachusetts Association for Mental Health

• United States
• Public Policy Offices
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Behavioral Health Policy Analyst

  • May 2018 - Apr 2021

  Behavioral health policy analyst responsible for overseeing a project examining pediatric urgent care for behavioral health conditions in partnership with the Children's Mental Health Campaign and supporting the MAMH policy and advocacy agenda Managed grant-funded Pediatric Behavioral Health Urgent Care Project: - Conducted an extensive literature review; performed key informant interviews; led focus groups with policymakers, clinical leaders, and parents; completed site visits of best-practice behavioral health urgent care models to inform the development of a model for children and adolescents in Massachusetts - Assembled findings to create two reports on pediatric behavioral health urgent care, including one addressing the needs of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Engaged in state-level advocacy and policy analysis related to child and adult mental health: - Wrote testimony, tracked legislation and budget amendments, created web-based action alerts and legislative folders, attended meetings and hearings at the Massachusetts State House and with administrative policymakers - Develop content for MAMH, including the monthly newsletter and a brief on mental health education Show less



Boston Children's Hospital

• United States
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 700 & Above Employee

• Project Coordinator

  • Sep 2017 - May 2018

  Supported the development of the Tufts Health Together with Boston Children’s Accountable Care Organization: - Served as liaison between Tufts Health Public Plan and CHICO to problem solve provider and patient issues prior to and following the ACO “Go-Live” - Co-developed a proposal to integrate the Boston Children’s ACO with Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative services and other community-based behavioral health supports Supported the development of the Tufts Health Together with Boston Children’s Accountable Care Organization: - Served as liaison between Tufts Health Public Plan and CHICO to problem solve provider and patient issues prior to and following the ACO “Go-Live” - Co-developed a proposal to integrate the Boston Children’s ACO with Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative services and other community-based behavioral health supports



Boston Children's Hospital

• United States
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 700 & Above Employee

• Macro Social Work Intern

  • Sep 2016 - Jun 2017

  Macro social work intern responsible for supporting many aspects of the government relations and Children's Mental Health Campaign teams legislative and policy advocacy Participated in the Emergency Department Boarding Project, which examined trends in prolonged Emergency Department stays among children with behavioral health needs - Telephonically collected length-of stay and disposition data, conducted literature review - Coordinated with the Children’s Mental Health Campaign to plan policy summit Supported the mental health policy and advocacy agenda of Boston Children's Hospital (BCH): - Created internal and external materials for BCH and the Children’s Mental Health Campaign - Supported the planning of the BCH State House Breakfast using the hospital’s high reliability protocol - Based on work completed at NAMI, conducted an in-depth policy analysis examining the impact on children of legalizing recreational marijuana in MA and subsequently followed proposed legislation through the bill-filing and hearing process Show less



Tufts University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Graduate Research Assistant

  • May 2016 - May 2017

  Responsible for qualitative data collection for the Connecting Adolescents’ Beliefs and Behaviors Study, which examined middle and high school students’ thought processes related to moral decision-making. - Traveled to middle and high schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut to administer surveys, entered data from surveys, and cleaned variables for analysis. Responsible for qualitative data collection for the Connecting Adolescents’ Beliefs and Behaviors Study, which examined middle and high school students’ thought processes related to moral decision-making. - Traveled to middle and high schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut to administer surveys, entered data from surveys, and cleaned variables for analysis.



NAMI Massachusetts

• United States
• Mental Health Care
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Macro Social Work Intern

  • Jan 2016 - May 2016

  Macro social work intern responsible for supporting NAMI Mass’s legislative and policy advocacy - Generated testimony on behalf of NAMI supporting an expansion of North Shore Medical Center - Researched and wrote a position paper opposing the ballot question regarding legalizing recreational marijuana - Organized annual Advocacy Day event at the State House: updated bill fact sheets, assembled advocacy materials, coordinated catering for 250 people Macro social work intern responsible for supporting NAMI Mass’s legislative and policy advocacy - Generated testimony on behalf of NAMI supporting an expansion of North Shore Medical Center - Researched and wrote a position paper opposing the ballot question regarding legalizing recreational marijuana - Organized annual Advocacy Day event at the State House: updated bill fact sheets, assembled advocacy materials, coordinated catering for 250 people



Tufts University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Research Assistant

  • Jun 2013 - Jun 2014

  Responsible for quantitative and qualitative data collection for the Character and Merit Project, which evaluated the impact of Boy Scouts programming on participants’ character development. - Collaborated in group project meetings, interviewed elementary school-aged children at Cub Scout camp, collected and entered quantitative data for 1600 elementary school-aged participants. Responsible for quantitative and qualitative data collection for the Character and Merit Project, which evaluated the impact of Boy Scouts programming on participants’ character development. - Collaborated in group project meetings, interviewed elementary school-aged children at Cub Scout camp, collected and entered quantitative data for 1600 elementary school-aged participants.



Teachers College, Columbia University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Research Assistant

  • May 2012 - Aug 2012