Institute for Families in Society

I was first introduced to ideas of public health as an undergraduate research fellow at Oberlin College, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Studying the impact of public health messaging on individuals’ behavior was fascinating, but I was frustrated that my research might not ever reach or be used by decision makers to actually improve people’s lives, so I decided to switch to a career in public health where I hope I can more directly affect factors that contribute to poor health outcomes in our communities.

I did a short stint as a medical biller for a large hospital system before accepting a position at SCDHHS where I worked to help protect the residents of South Carolina from fraud and abuse of the Medicaid system as a claims analyst. I am currently a Health Research Analyst at IFS. I help the team make data-driven policy recommendations by reporting our research findings to leaders and partners in South Carolina’s Medicaid system.

In my spare time I enjoy playing indie board games with my wonderful husband, Denzel. I try to keep a healthful lifestyle by maintaining a consistent yoga practice and mindful eating. I like to relax with a good audiobook, a pair of needles, and some hand-dyed yarn.