Welcome to the Child Health Policy Program!

CHPP in a nutshell:

In general, the Child Health Policy Program (CHPP) strives for excellence in scholarship, research, and service to the community. The CHPP is home to health policy research across a range of health care and public health issues affecting children, including the effects of Medicaid reforms on special needs children to policies affecting childhood obesity, asthma, and infant mortality. The CHPP focuses on the social, economic, political and cultural factors that affect child health policy in the United States and abroad. This includes all policies that affect the health and development of children from birth to young adulthood and the accessibility and quality of health care for children adolescents, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable sub-populations of children. CHPP staff are experts in their respective fields and are recognized in particular for their work in all phases of health care financing and reform for children, health care organization and quality as they affect children, and in the social determinants of health for children.

Scholarship in the CHPP emphasizes the skills of policy analysis (including research, qualitative and quantitative, and written and oral communication skills) as well as the knowledge and skills that are essential when conducting applied research, that is the application of theoretical frameworks and qualitative and quantitative research methods to real-world problems. There are practical opportunities for students to gain policy and research skills through existing projects. There are a variety of courses offered through the Department of Health Policy as well as other Departments of the School of Public Health and Health Services that are specific to child health.

If you have any questions about coursework or the program, please send an email to chpp@gwu.edu.

Program Staff:

Anne Rossier Markus, JD, PhD, MHS (Director)
Associate Professor

Maya T. Gerstein, MPH
Senior Research Associate

Victoria S. Lyons, MPH
Senior Research Assistant

Janet Phoenix, MD, MPH
Assistant Research Professor

Kristina Vasilkovska, MD, MPH
Research Associate

Members of the Child Health Policy Program are in active service the Washington, DC metro area through professional and community service. In addition to participating in service to the local Washington, DC area communities, staff provides regional and national service to organizations such as the American Public Health Association, March of Dimes, and the World Health Organization through a variety of mechanisms. CHPP staff frequently provides technical assistance and policy support through contracts to child health organizations.

Past projects have included the investigation of infant morality in Washington, DC, financing and promoting preconception care for women, and analyzing managed care and disease management contracts for EPSDT services to name a few. Current projects include policy work around pediatric HIV care and treatment, state surveys around CHIP and Medicaid reforms, childhood asthma policy work, and translational research around childhood asthma management in health centers.

Examples of past and current work by CHPP: