Elizabeth Lukanen, M.P.H., is the Director of SHADAC, a health policy research center at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Ms. Lukanen has 25 years of experience translating complex research findings into actionable, policy-relevant information as a researcher, evaluator, and advisor. As Director of SHADAC, she oversees a multidisciplinary team that provides data analytics, policy analysis and technical assistance to monitor key trends and inform evidence-based health policy. Ms. Lukanen leads SHADAC’s engagement with states, supporting policymakers and Medicaid agencies on a variety of topics, including: innovative data solutions to inform insurance exchange outreach efforts; designing evaluations to monitor program and policy interventions; measuring health disparities and efforts to enhance health equity; monitoring eligibility and enrollment performance; and designing analysis and modeling to inform coverage and access policy. She also serves as the Principal Investigator on a project that provides on-demand data analysis and technical assistance to inform Medicaid policy for the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) using a wide variety of federal surveys. Before joining SHADAC, Ms. Lukanen served as a Senior Research Economist at the Minnesota Department of Health where she did extensive analysis of primary and secondary data, conducted economic analyses, and managed stakeholder interactions for the Governor’s statewide Blue Ribbon Panel on health care reform. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from McGill University and a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University.