Interviewed by: Benjamin Eidman, David Pittman, and Khue Vo

 

Erin Connolly was part of the 2022 inaugural HBHI Graduate Institute cohort. Ms. Connolly earned an MSPH in Health Policy from the Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2023. She currently works for Aurrera Health Group as a Senior Policy Consultant.

Q1: How did you become interested in health policy?

A: I became interested in health policy after personally running into a challenge with the US health care system. It can be really confusing and stressful for a lot of individuals to navigate and I wanted to help change that. As an undergraduate student, I studied journalism and was drawn to healthcare-related stories.  Then, after working in health and issue communications work for a few years, I decided to apply for a master’s degree program in health policy. Studying at Hopkins and participating in HBHI has been an amazing experience – and I use those skills every day in the consulting role I’m in right now.

Q2: Can you tell us a little about the consulting work you do?

A: I’m currently a senior policy consultant at Aurrera Health Group, which is a consulting firm focused on a range of health policies to improve access to quality care. I primarily work with the California Department of Health Care Services, specifically on their Medicaid program in the behavioral health space. I provide technical assistance, stakeholder engagement, and support policy implementation activities. It’s exciting to take a look behind the scenes on how policy is made and carried out – and I’m so grateful to play a part in it.

Q3: Do you have any current projects that you are particularly excited about?

A: Our team recently conducted a survey and some interviews with state stakeholders about some of the policies we have been working on, how they are being implemented, and some of the challenges they are experiencing. We are going to use that information to develop some improvement strategies for these policies and to create a technical assistance and stakeholder outreach plan. I’m looking forward to using the data we’ve collected to drive policy changes that will help stakeholders and patients across the state.

Q4: How has your experience with HBHI shaped the way you approach your work?

A: I am so grateful for my fellow Graduate Institute cohort members and everyone I’ve met through HBHI. It’s a great network to have! I also really like HBHI’s webinar series and events. I think sometimes it’s easy for professionals working full time in the health policy space to become laser focused on their specific policy area. HBHI provides a way to learn about other policy issues which has helped broaden my perspective.

Q5: Do you have any favorite memories from your time as a master’s student or involvement with HBHI?

A: I really enjoyed helping out with the HBHI open house event last September in Washington, DC at the new Hopkins building. HBHI brought together a group of policy experts from around DC and beyond for a fun, collaborative evening. I’m looking forward to joining more HBHI events in the future.

Q6: The year already seems to be flying by, is there anything outside of work that you’re looking forward to in 2024?

A: In April I’m staying with some friends that live in the path of totality for the solar eclipse. I’m super excited about that—I’ve never experienced a total solar eclipse before.