Since 2015, Dr. John Z. Ayanian has been an active and engaged member of CHRT’s Board of Directors. After two consecutive terms of service, Ayanian will step down from the role this month. CHRT is deeply grateful for Ayanian’s service and pleased to report that Dr. Renuka Tipirneni has been chosen to replace Ayanian on the board. 

“As a medical doctor and health sciences researcher with significant expertise in public policy, John has shared his tremendous expertise on the impact of health policy, practice, and payment reforms on patient health outcomes,” says Lynda Rossi, chair of the CHRT Board.

Ayanian also brought connections to hundreds of scientists at one of the world’s largest groups of health care and health policy researchers, the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation (IHPI), which Ayanian directs at the University of Michigan.

“We’re so grateful for John’s many contributions to CHRT,” says Terrisca Des Jardins, CHRT’s executive director. “His knowledge, insights, and dedication have been fundamental to CHRT’s growth over the years.” 

Dr. Renuka Tipirneni is, like Ayanian, a medical doctor and health services researcher at the University of Michigan with significant expertise in public policy. Tipirneni’s research focuses on the impact of health care reform on low-socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic minority, aging, and other vulnerable populations. 

Tipirneni is a co-investigator on the evaluation of Michigan’s Healthy Michigan Plan Medicaid expansion and is the Co-Director of a collaborative quality initiative (CQI), the Michigan Social Health Interventions to Eliminate Disparities (MSHIELD). The new initiative is funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and is being launched in conjunction with the Health Equity Project, which aims to help Michigan counties reduce health disparities by addressing pressing social needs such as housing instability, food insecurity, and transportation . She is also a recipient of a National Institute on Aging career development award for examining the impact of insurance coverage expansion on near-retirement age adults. 

“Renu is known for translating research into evidence-based health policies and practices, and sharing lessons learned across states,” says Rossi. “We’re thrilled that she will bring this expertise to CHRT’s board.” 

“Renu is a CHRT Health Policy Fellow alumna, has collaborated with CHRT staff on survey work and numerous publications, and is working with CHRT on the newly launched Health Equity Project,” says Terrisca Des Jardins, executive director of CHRT. “The CHRT team and I are incredibly grateful for Renu’s long-standing relationship and willingness to take on this expanded role.”

“Partnering with CHRT has been a signature blessing of my career,” says Tipirneni, “from working on my first survey analyses, to learning with state policymakers in the CHRT policy fellowship, to many years later launching a statewide initiative to address social determinants of health in Michigan. I look forward to contributing to the next phase of CHRT’s activities and continued valuable impact on our communities and state.”

We’re pleased to announce that the 2022 cohort of CHRT Health Policy Fellows has been selected. These fellows will complete a four-month curriculum designed to build bridges between Michigan’s academic health researchers, nonprofit health leaders, and policymakers in Lansing. 

The 2022 CHRT Health Policy Fellows are:

Policymakers

• Eva Cline – Policy Advisor, Michigan State House Republicans
• Brianna Egan – Legislative Director, Michigan State Senator Winnie Brinks (D)
• Joshua Lyman – Legislative Aide/Policy Services, Michigan State Representative Joe Tate (D)
• Madeline Watts – Policy Advisor, Michigan State Senate Republicans
• Marina Wyrzykowski – Legislative Analyst, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Nonprofit leaders

• Elise Bur – Director, Center for Rural Health, Northern Michigan University
• Kristie King – Association Executive, Southeast Michigan Senior Regional Collaborative
• Madeleine McConnell – Addiction Specialist, Catholic Human Services
• Kimberly Motter – Director of Quality and Training, Reliance Community Care Partners
• Toluope Sonuyi – Founder/CEO/Health Director, Detroit Life Is Valuable Everyday (DLIVE)

Health services researchers

• Steven Broglio – Professor of Kinesiology, School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan
• Marisa Eisenberg – Associate Professor of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan
• Claudia Figueroa-Romero – Assistant Research Scientist, Department of Neurology, University of Michigan
• David Mendez – Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Michigan
• Kirsten Woody Scott, – Resident, Emergency Medicine, Michigan Medicine

More information about the CHRT Health Policy Fellowship can be found at https://chrt.org/fellowship/.

The Center for Health and Research Transformation is happy to welcome new staff with backgrounds in integration, graphic design, program evaluation, administration, and communication.

Sharon Kim – Associate Director

Sharon Kim is an associate director at CHRT. She supports CHRT’s growing work focused on health equity and the integration of clinical and social services through interventions powered by information and technology.

Before joining CHRT, Sharon served as a Health Care Manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan supporting a portfolio of value-based programs including the Physician Group Incentive Program (PGIP) Health Information Exchange (HIE), Telehealth, Innovations, Palliative Care Initiatives and the Hospital and Skilled Nursing Facility Pay for Performance HIE programs.

Her work with Blue Cross and Olympia Medical LLC, an independent physician organization serving providers in underserved areas of Southeast Michigan, has made her a passionate advocate for supporting primary care-driven team-based models of care and the roles of independent, advanced practice, and safety net providers.

Sharon serves on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), a global advisor, thought leader, and member association committed to transforming the health ecosystem. She is also a member of the Patient and Caregiver Oncology Quality Council (POQC) supporting the goals of the Michigan Oncology Quality Consortium (MOQC).

Sharon has an MPA from Oakland University and a BA from the University of Michigan.

 

Elisabeth Paymal – Senior Communications Specialist and Designer

Elisabeth Paymal is a senior communications specialist and designer at CHRT. She supports communications and research dissemination for a variety of community health, policy, and research projects.

Elisabeth has extensive experience communicating about scientific research to a variety of audiences including policymakers, decision leaders, and the public. Prior to joining CHRT, she provided communications for national and global biodiversity and sustainability research, as well as for food security policy in Africa. More recently, she was the communication officer for the Center for RNA Biomedicine at the University of Michigan.

Elisabeth holds a bachelor’s in fine arts degree in graphic design from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of the Sorbonne-Paris V.

 

Flavia Shuck – Senior Administrative Assistant

Flavia Shuck is a senior administrative assistant for the Center for Health Research Transformation (CHRT). She is responsible for supporting CHRT’s team with office operations and projects.

Prior to joining CHRT, Flavia was an administrative assistant at the Physician Organization of Michigan Accountable Care Organization (POM ACO). Flavia grew up in Brazil and also previously served as the public relations officer for the Governor of Curitiba.

Flavia received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and an MBA in Business Communication from Universidade Tuiuti do Parana.

 

Jonathan Tsao – Senior Analyst

Jonathan Tsao is a senior research and evaluation analyst at CHRT. He is involved with several projects that analyze complex data on major health policy issues including: access to care; cost, quality and effectiveness of care; behavioral health; social determinants of health; and consumer satisfaction.

Before joining CHRT, Jonathan was involved in program/data management, development, and fundraising for several health and social service initiatives in 

New York City. At Mount Sinai’s Institute for Advanced Medicine (IAM), he served as the Development Manager to sustain/increase funding for HIV care and prevention programs. Prior to IAM, he worked with the American Cancer Society and Chinese American Medical Society to organize cancer prevention education, community health screenings, and CME-accredited events on health disparities affecting Asian Americans. He further contributed to a multi-year project that identified barriers to Hepatitis B prevention and care among Asian communities. Recently, Jonathan completed a fellowship at The Data Incubator program, where he utilized machine learning to identify targeted strategies in reducing spread of COVID-19 and future pandemics.

 

Kristin Watkins – Health Policy Intern

Kristin Watkins is a senior at the University of Michigan, pursuing a Bachelor of Science (2022) with a concentration in Health Administration. As a CHRT intern, she supports the health policy team.

Kristin’s interest in public health and health policies are fueled by personal experiences of having children with complex medical needs. She is interested in learning more about health policy, particularly around equity issues in health care. In 2013, she formed a non-profit organization, Bella-Bags, to help families obtain medical products that were limited to patients who had complex health issues. Kristin also has experience as a volunteer coordinator with hospice and was part of a care team working with Medicare and Medicaid regulations and policies.

 

Eliana Whitehouse – Data Analyst Intern

Eliana Whitehouse is a CHRT intern working with the data analytics team on the development of a community integrated health network for older adults in southeast Michigan.

Eliana is currently a graduate student at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She is in the Policy and Political Social Work pathway with an anticipated graduation in December of 2022. Her interest is in the development and implementation of preventative policies.

Before coming to Michigan, Eliana received her BA in psychology and studio art from Lawrence University (’21). Prior to CHRT, she worked in clinical trial research and project management.