Rockefeller Institute Researchers Win National Award
ALBANY, N.Y. — Announced by the American Political Science Association’s (APSA) Section on Health Politics and Policy, Rockefeller Institute of Government Fellows Patricia Strach, Katie Zuber, and Elizabeth Pérez-Chiqués have been named the recipients of the Outstanding Public Engagement in Health Policy Award for their Stories from Sullivan series.
Over the past two and a half years, researchers from the Rockefeller Institute have studied the opioid epidemic, combining aggregate data analysis with on-the-ground research in a deeply-affected rural New York county to provide insight into what the opioid problem looks like, how communities respond, and what kinds of policies have the best chance of making a difference. Research from the series has informed agencies and committees at the federal level and state level, including the United States Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services, the New York Joint Opioid Taskforce, and the New York State Opioid Prevention Program Data Team. The research has also benefited local communities, amplifying their voices and helping policymakers understand the challenges they face.
“We are immensely proud of this research and very excited to see Drs. Strach, Zuber, and Pérez-Chiqués receive recognition for their creativity, hard work, and public engagement,” said Executive Director of Research Laura Schultz. “Too often, research is divorced from the experiences of the individuals and communities it seeks to study. Through the Stories from Sullivan series, Patty, Katie and Lisi put the voices of those affected by the opioid epidemic —patients, providers, parents, and others — at the center of the research. Their work has broadened our understanding of the opioid crisis in rural America.”
With the arrival of COVID-19, the Stories from Sullivan team opened a new chapter in their research. “Epidemic in a Pandemic” examines what is happening to substance-use treatment access and effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The recipients of the Outstanding Public Engagement in Health Policy Award are:
Patricia Strach
Dr. Patricia Strach is a fellow at the Rockefeller Institute and a professor at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy. She is principal investigator on the Stories from Sullivan project. She is also the author of Hiding Politics in Plain Sight: Cause Marketing, Corporate Influence, and Breast Cancer Policymaking (Oxford 2016), All in the Family: The Private Roots of American Public Policy (Stanford 2007), and articles appearing in Political Research Quarterly, Journal of Policy History, Polity, and American Politics Research. In 2008-2010 she was a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy Research at Harvard University. Dr. Strach received her doctorate in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004.
Katie Zuber
Dr. Katie Zuber is a fellow at the Rockefeller Institute and a doctoral lecturer of political science, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. Her research examines the role of law in collective struggle, with an emphasis on legal advocacy among sexual and gender minorities. She has worked on several collaborative projects featured in Law & Society Review, Justice System Journal, Political Communication, and Journal of Political Marketing. Dr. Zuber received her doctorate in political science from UAlbany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy in 2017.
Elizabeth Pérez-Chiqués
Dr. Elizabeth Pérez-Chiqués is fellow at the Rockefeller Institute and assistant professor of public administration at Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE). Her research interests center on corruption and public personnel management. She is the co-founder of ABRE Puerto Rico, a nonprofit organization that specializes in government transparency and civic technology. Prior to returning to graduate school, she was the deputy administrator for prevention and community services in Puerto Rico’s Department of the Family. Dr. Pérez-Chiqués holds a doctorate in public administration and policy from the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College, and a bachelor of arts and master of public policy from the University of Chicago.