Valerie Ernat is the fall Health Policy Fellow at AcademyHealth, where she assists with advocacy and strategic public policy efforts. Valerie works closely with the Director of Advocacy to advance the mission and objectives of AcademyHealth through advocacy, public policy, education, and policy communication. In this role, she tracks legislative and regulatory developments impacting health services research, in addition to drafting and editing research materials that advance the goals of evidence-based policymaking.
Prior to joining AcademyHealth, Valerie earned her J.D. from the University of Maryland Carey School of Law, where she graduated with honors and a Health Law certificate. During law school, Valerie was a Student Attorney in the Public Health Law Clinic, which engages in state-based advocacy and supports the Network for Public Health Law-Eastern Division. She also conducted legal and policy analysis in her roles at the U.S. Senate, the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Democracy Forward. Valerie's written work, which focuses on reproductive health and justice post-Dobbs, has been published by law school journals and the Network for Public Health Law. Valerie also earned a B.S in Criminal Justice, B.S in Sociology, and a Minor in Women & Gender Studies from Radford University, where she played Division I women's volleyball.