Ellie Jorling, M.P.P., is a Research Associate with AcademyHealth, where she is responsible for supporting Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) grantmaking programs. Her work focuses on integrating evidence to make health-care systems in the United States more equitable and focused on people's goals and needs. Ellie supports the programmatic and grantmaking activities of RWJF’s “Health Data for Action” and “Community Research for Health Equity” projects. Prior to joining AcademyHealth, she was a Graduate Intern in the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services’ Policy, Planning, & Operational Support Administration. There, she researched the Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce in Michigan and made recommendations to policymakers on how to incorporate CHW services into Medicaid coverage. Before graduate school, Ellie worked in development and fundraising at the U.S. Soccer Foundation, a nonprofit that provides underserved communities with access to innovative play spaces and evidence-based soccer programs that instill hope, foster well-being, and help youth achieve their fullest potential. She also completed internships at the U.S. Department of State, the National Museum of American History, and the U.S. House of Representatives, among others. Ellie received her Master of Public Policy degree, with a concentration in social policy, from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Kenyon College.
Recent federal legislation and new research funding opportunities underscore the importance and urgency of improving representation in clinical trials to advance health equity.
In the second of a series of interviews with our Community Research for Health Equity grantees, AcademyHealth interviews Kelli Caseman with Think Kids to learn more about their project goals and findings during Disability Pride Month.
From new research funding and networking opportunities to plenary and poster sessions, participants will have ample opportunities to learn about methods to advance health equity at this year’s Annual Research Meeting in Baltimore starting later this week.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Community Research for Health Equity program, managed by AcademyHealth, supports community-led research to address local health care system issues of importance to communities of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other historically marginalized populations. Local health system transformation needs to elevate community voices and make the priorities of communities the primary goal of local health system transformation efforts.