“The COVES Policy Fellowship exposed me to a variety of science policy career pathways and helped me develop the skills necessary to pursue a career in policy advisement.”

Summer Responsibilities: Sarah assessed the effectiveness of Virginia’s current efforts to address health care workforce shortages. Using publicly available data and interviews with stakeholders, she developed a detailed inventory of health workforce programs that included information about their goals, reach, costs, and overall effectiveness.

Background: After earning her master’s degree, Sarah worked in private practice as a licensed psychotherapist and autism evaluation consultant for several years before joining her current program. Her current research focuses broadly on exploring the associations between patient-provider interactions, medical distrust, and health disparities in pediatric and young adult illness populations. She is passionate about the translation of health research into sustainable community-focused programs and health policies.