Danielle DeCosta is a director at AcademyHealth where she is responsible for initiatives to enhance the impact and relevance of health services research in practice and policy. Her portfolio spans topics including reproductive health equity, research impact assessment, equitable grantmaking, international knowledge exchange and learning, and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the research workforce. In this role, her responsibilities include leading learning collaboratives and communities of practice, program management and strategy, qualitative research and analysis, proposal review, impact evaluation, and the application of human-centered design to drive innovation in the research enterprise.

Prior to joining AcademyHealth, Danielle worked for the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, providing communications, policy advocacy, and other technical assistance to the foundation's grantmaking program to improve the system of care for children with special health care needs. Danielle also supported a program to expand contraceptive access in metropolitan hubs in Asia and Africa through the Gates Institute within the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, consulted on a USAID community-building initiative in Jamaica, and interned with the Alameda County Public Health Department. Danielle holds an M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a concentration in health systems and policy and a B.S. in biology from Stanford University.

Authored by Danielle DeCosta, M.P.H.

Blog Post

Finding Common Ground and Other Approaches to Navigating the Changing DEIA Landscape as Organizations, Leaders, and Researchers

Leaders of a Community of Practice for DEIA practitioners reflect on a discussion at the 2024 Annual Research Meeting about how health services researchers and institutions are responding to the changing DEIA landscape—and the importance of community in finding one’s voice to learn from peers and cross-amplify our efforts for impact.
Posted By Brynne Presser Funderburg, M.P.H., Jenni Lane, M.A., Dorcas Lind, M.P.H., Gabri'el Shabazz, Danielle DeCosta, M.P.H.
Topics HSR Workforce Development Health Equity
Blog Post

The Value of Community in Studying the Impacts of the Dobbs Decision

Reflecting on a networking session at the Annual Research Meeting, researchers studying the impacts of the Dobbs decision elevate challenges, successes, and opportunities to collaborate with others doing this work, such as through AcademyHealth’s new Research Community on the Equity Impacts of Dobbs.
Posted By Nicole Quinones, M.P.H., Aakriti Shrestha, M.P.H., Hao Yu, Ph.D., Danielle DeCosta, M.P.H.
Topics Health Equity Public & Population Health Hospitals & Health Systems Access to Care Using Health Data
Blog Post

A Mindset & Innovative Tools for Integrating Health and Equity into Policymaking Across Sectors

Health in All Policies is an approach to fostering cross-sector collaboration and promoting policies to improve population health that is spreading across U.S. jurisdictions. A May 2024 convening in Washington, D.C. explored tools and approaches that have been developed and refined to center health and equity in policymaking.
Posted By Danielle DeCosta, M.P.H.
Topics Public & Population Health Health Equity Using Health Data
Publication

Documenting the Ripple Effects of Dobbs on Health, Equity, and Health Services Research

The aftershocks of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion continue to reverberate through the U.S. health care system. This brief and accompanying research agenda highlight priority research topics, methods, and recommendations for health services research to examine these wide-ranging implications on reproductive health care, health equity, and beyond.
Posted
Topics HSR Resources & Methods Using Health Data Health Equity Public & Population Health Access to Care