Heidi Allen

IN A NUTSHELL

Heidi Allen and her colleagues conducted the first population-scale, randomized clinical trial on the impact insurance has on our health, with results that have provocative implications for policy.

ABOUT HEIDI

Heidi Allen studies the impact of health and social policies on the well-being of low-income families. As a clinical practitioner in mental health and emergency departments, Heidi observed stark health disparities in patients she worked with. In response, she decided to focus on informing evidence-based policies to reduce these health gaps. Heidi was a leading investigator on the landmark Oregon Health Insurance Experiment – the first randomized study in the United States to evaluate the impacts of a Medicaid health insurance expansion on uninsured adults. She was a 2014 – 2015 American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in Health & Aging Policy and a recipient of the 2016 Columbia University Tsunoda Senior Fellowship program. Currently, Heidi is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at Columbia University, where she teaches courses on health policy and advanced policy practice.