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Alison Laffan

Pronouns: She/Her

Principal Research Scientist

Health Sciences

Alison implements and evaluates health care and public health programs focused on aging populations and health equity.

Alison is a principal research scientist in the Health Sciences department who manages projects for AHRQ, CDC, PCORI, CMS and private foundations. Her work focuses on the health and well-being of aging and reducing health disparities. She projects have included research on hospital acquired conditions, dementia, diabetes, and disabilities.

Alison leads research projects studying health care delivery innovations and public health programs designed to improve health, increase patient safety, improve health care quality, and achieve health equity. She manages work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services supporting them in implementing their Health Equity Framework. In addition, she led work supporting federal and local efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable populations including nursing home residents and racial and ethnic minorities.

Prior to joining NORC, she served as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Policy Fellow, in the HHS office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response where she coordinated policy for public health emergency preparedness and response across federal stakeholder agencies and international partners. Earlier in her career Alison managed a federally funded clinical research program at Johns Hopkins University focused on sleep and sleep disorders.