Sara Elhasan
Sara Elhasan holds an MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan, as well as a BS in Public Health and BA in Sociology from Wayne State University. Prior to joining YPL, Sara was an ORISE Fellow with the Centers for Disease Control’s Applied Research and Translation team. An avid researcher, Sara has trained with the National Institutes of Health, Ronald E. McNair Scholars, and Columbia University, and has served as a legislative intern at the Michigan House of Representatives. Sara is passionate about giving back to her community, and hopes to contribute to the movement that corrects health inequities and to further investigate the ways in which one’s social, political, cultural, and economic circumstances influence health and well-being. Outside of work, you can find Sara spending time with her family, traveling, or attending a concert!
MDHHS Home Visiting Unit: Strengthening Michigan’s Home Visiting Systems
With generous support from the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, the Youth Policy Lab partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to host a fellow embedded in the Home Visiting Unit. The focus of this fellowship is to improve systems integration across Michigan’s evidence-based home visiting models for parents, infants, and young children. The fellow conducts research and data analysis to support state-led programs, gaining experience and exposure in the field as they assist our state partners in strengthening their programs, policies, and processes.
Home Visiting Fellow Sara Elhasan, collaborated with the Home Visiting Unit to implement research and data-informed policies and program improvements, including evaluating Home Visiting programs to analyze gaps in service, and ongoing systems integration projects for MiBridges, 211, and Program Finder. Sara also leads epidemiological and systems-based projects on the social determinants of health across Michigan, as well as needs assessments to inform expansions in home visiting among at-risk communities. This work is synthesized to develop reports, presentations, and policy briefs for the Youth Policy Lab, Home Visiting Unit, and external partners.