About Carrie Henning-Smith, Mariana Tuttle, & Katy Backes Kozhimannil
Katy B. Kozhimannil, PhD, MPA is Director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center and Professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health. She is also the Director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center and Director of the Office of Rural Health at the Clinical Technology Science Institute (CTSI) at the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Kozhimannil conducts research to inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of health policy that impacts health care delivery, quality, and outcomes during critical times in the lifecourse, including pregnancy and childbirth. The goal of her scholarly work is to contribute to the evidence base for clinical and policy strategies to advance racial, gender, and geographic equity and to collaborate with stakeholders in making policy change to address social determinants and structural injustice in order to facilitate improved health and well-being.
Dr. Kozhimannil’s research, published in major journals such as Science, the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Health Affairs, American Journal of Public Health, and Medical Care, has been widely cited. Media coverage of her research, including feature stories by the New York Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio, Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, and the Huffington Post, has generated dialogue, interest and policy action at local, state, and national levels. In addition to conducting research, Dr. Kozhimannil teaches courses that build skills for effective engagement in the policy process, and works extensively with community organizations and state and federal policy makers on efforts to improve the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities, starting at birth.
