About MDRC

Saunders joined MDRC in June 2016 as a technical analyst for the federally funded Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE). She focuses on cleaning, processing, and analyzing data collected from family participants to assess impacts on a variety of domains pertaining to the mother and the child. Saunders holds a BS in mathematics and economics from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in public health from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. At Columbia she concentrated on the impacts of social and economic factors on the health of low-income families and individuals using a quantitative lens. For her thesis she researched the paradoxical hypothesis that participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is associated with higher rates of diabetes. As a graduate student, Saunders worked as an aide for the Syndromic Surveillance Unit at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she developed an algorithm to connect text-based search criteria for various health conditions with standard medical billing codes.
-
MDRC Publications
-
Other Publications
-
Projects
Virginia Knox, Charles Michalopoulos, JoAnn Hsueh, Desiree Principe Alderson, Dina A. R. Israel, Erika Lundquist, Electra Small, Rebecca Behrmann, Anne Warren, Samantha Xia, Kelly Saunders, Ilana Blum, Jessica Kopsic, Noemi Altman, Caroline Mage, Helen LeeAdverse birth outcomes result in significant emotional and economic costs for families and communities. One promising avenue for helping expectant women is home visiting programs, which work with parents to promote prenatal care and improve infant health. The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation-Strong Start ( MIHOPE -Strong Start) will evaluate the...
Virginia Knox, Charles Michalopoulos, JoAnn Hsueh, Desiree Principe Alderson, Dina A. R. Israel, Erika Lundquist, Electra Small, Carolyn Hill, Rebecca Behrmann, Ximena Portilla, Anne Warren, Samantha Xia, Kelly Saunders, Ilana Blum, Mallory Undestad, Emily Davies, Cullen MacDowell, Marissa Strassberger, Sharon Rowser, Livia Martinez, Helen Lee, Alexandra Giles, Tahsin AminHome visiting programs operate around the country to prevent child maltreatment, improve maternal and child health outcomes, and increase school readiness. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 authorized the creation of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting ( MIECHV ) program, expanding federal funding of home visiting programs....