Carolyn Berry, PhD

For over 20 years I have been evaluating policies and policy-relevant programs in public health, health care, and social services, with a focus on poor and underserved populations and health disparities. This multidisciplinary work involves a combination of methods, including qualitative interviews, surveys, and data analysis.

Recently, I have been studying and evaluating the patient-centered medical home model in the following settings:

• small primary care practices in New York City
• a large urban hospital system primarily serving the uninsured and Medicaid beneficiaries
• a national initiative designed to reduce racial and ethnic disparities at the practice site

My current research involves studying the impact of primary care practice facilitation—trained professionals supporting small primary care practices—with the goal of improving primary care. I have served as an evaluation consultant on projects in quality and performance improvement and continuing medical education.

I am also evaluating several programs:

• Project ECHO, the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, a care model for bringing specialty expertise to rural clinics in New Mexico
• a Social Innovation Fund–supported initiative for providing permanent housing and integrated primary care to homeless people
• the Healthy Neighborhoods initiative, jointly funded by New York Community Trust and New York State Health Foundation

Since 2008 I have had continuous grants from the New York State Health Foundation to provide evaluation technical assistance to other grantees of the foundation. In 2016 I was awarded a similar contract from New York Community Trust, which was renewed for a second year.

I have been affiliated with NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service for over 15 years, as former deputy director of its Center for Health and Public Service Research, lead faculty of the Program Analysis and Evaluation course, and a current affiliate faculty member. I am also an affiliate faculty member at the Global College of Public Health.