WASHINGTON — Georgetown University professors offer expertise for journalists seeking interviews in a variety of subjects related to coronavirus, including its intersection with public policy, insurance, and the health care system, and it’s effect on the economy and U.S. Labor Market.
To schedule an interview, please contact Ruth McBain at ruth.mcbain@georgetown.edu.
Find an expert in infectious disease, global health security, health system readiness or related topics.
Health Insurance/Coverage
Joan Alker is the Executive Director and a Co-Founder of the Center for Children and Families (CCF), and a Research Professor at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy. Joan is a leading leading national expert and speaker on Medicaid and CHIP. Two of her most recent reports examine the role of Medicaid in rural areas and the nation’s progress on covering children. She has authored numerous reports and studies on a range of issues including Medicaid waivers, premium assistance, and was the principal investigator of a multi-year study on Florida’s Medicaid program. Follow her on twitter at @JoanAlker1.
Areas of Expertise: How Medicaid has helped nation respond to public health emergencies; State Medicaid and CHIP programs; Health coverage for low-income children and families
COVID-19 Media Clips:
PRINT: Coronavirus forces reckoning for Trump’s healthcare cuts (Los Angeles Times, March 18, 2020)
Sabrina Corlette, J.D. is a research professor, founder, and co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR) at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. She has testified numerous times before the U.S. Congress and is frequently quoted in the news media on emerging healthcare issues. She has published dozens of papers relating to the regulation of private health insurance and health insurance marketplaces. Follow her on twitter at @SabrinaCorlette.
Areas of Expertise: Health reform issues; State and federal regulation of private health insurance; Health insurance laws and programs
COVID-19 Media Clips:
PRINT: Coronavirus Tests Are Now Free, but Treatment Could Still Cost You (New York Times, March 19, 2020)
TV: How lack of paid sick leave is complicating U.S. virus response (PBS Newshour, March 2020)
RADIO: For America’s uninsured, COVID-19 will present extra challenges (Marketplace, March 4, 2020)
Kevin Lucia, J.D., M.H.P., is a research professor, founder, and co-director with the Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR) at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. At CHIR, he directs research and analysis of federal and state law related to access, affordability and adequacy of private health insurance. He has authored numerous reports, issue briefs and blog posts relating to the regulation of private health insurance and health insurance marketplaces and is frequently quoted in the media.
Areas of Expertise: Health reform issues; State and federal regulation of private health insurance; Health insurance laws and programs
COVID-19 Media Clips:
PRINT: States Seek to Ease Consumer Costs for Coronavirus Testing (Bloomberg, March 6, 2020)
PRINT: US States Take Aggressive Action Against Coronavirus (Voice of America, March 17, 2020)
Edwin Park is a Research Professor at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy. His work primarily focuses on Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Affordable Care Act and he is considered one of the nation’s leading health policy experts on issues related to Medicaid and CHIP financing and the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansions, among others. Follow him on twitter at @EdwinCPark.
Areas of Expertise: Medicaid and CHIP financing; Medicaid’s countercyclical role during economic downturns; Federal and state budget policy; Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansions; Private health insurance markets; Prescription drug policy
COVID-19 Media Clips:
PRINT: Democrats propose hiking federal Medicaid payments in COVID-19 stimulus deal (Modern Healthcare, March 12, 2020)
Kelly Whitener is an Associate Professor of the Practice at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families (CCF). Prior to joining CCF, Kelly served as the Director of State Coverage Programs at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, overseeing the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Basic Health Program.
Areas of Expertise: Medicaid/CHIP and Immigrant Families; Medicaid’s pediatric health benefit, EPSDT; Medicaid/CHIP managed care
COVID-19 Media Clips:
PRINT: Report: Fewer Latino Children in Utah Have Health Insurance (Public News Service, March 20, 2020)
The Economy and Labor Market
Harry Holzer is the John LaFarge Jr. SJ Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University’ McCourt School of Public Policy, a Nonresident Senior Fellow at Brookings, and an Institute Fellow at the American Institute for Research in Washington DC. He is a former Chief Economist for the U.S. Department of Labor and a former Professor of Economics at Michigan State University. He was a founding faculty director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality. Harry can be found on Twitter at @HolzerHarry
Areas of Expertise: Effects of COVID-19 on the U.S. Labor Market and U.S. Economy; Workforce Development; Anti-Poverty Policies; Immigration; Higher Education; Racial Equity
COVID-19 Media Clips:
PRINT: Retail workers in their 60s, 70s and 80s say they’re worried about their health – but need the money (The Washington Post, March 30, 2020)
PRINT: Paid sick days? Payroll tax cut? Pros and cons of economic ideas to calm coronavirus fears (Los Angeles Times, March 12, 2020)
PRINT: Lack of paid leave will leave millions of US workers vulnerable to coronavirus (The Guardian, March 9, 2020)
PRINT: ‘It makes me very angry’: Coronovarius damage ripples across the workforce (Politico, March 9, 2020)
Dr. Adriana Kugler is Full Professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy. Formerly, she served as Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Labor under the Obama Administration between 2011 and 2013, where she worked actively on developing policies and proposals on unemployment insurance, training programs, retirement benefits, overtime pay and minimum wages, immigration, disability insurance and occupational safety regulations. Dr. Kugler is a member of the Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP) Board of the National Academies of Science and Engineering. In the past, she served in the Technical Advisory Committee of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Committee of Visitors of the National Science Foundations Division of Social and Economic Sciences. Dr. Kugler has testified as an expert witness in front of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, and is frequently quoted in the news media.
Areas of Expertise: Effects of COVID-19 on the U.S. Labor Market and U.S. Economy; Labor Markets and Labor Policy; Jobs Numbers; Immigration; US and International Economy
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The Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy is a top-ranked public policy school located in the center of the policy world in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to teach our students to design, analyze, and implement smart policies and put them into practice in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, in the U.S. and around the world.
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