Julia Berenson, M.Sc., is pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Policy and Policy Analysis with a concentration in Economics at Columbia University School of Social Work. To complement her academic pursuits, Ms. Berenson works as a senior consultant to the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) and the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA), a national initiative established to work towards eliminating health disparities, using a multi-level, multi-sectoral approach that addresses the social determinants of health for vulnerable populations. In this role, she provides support to federal, state, and local policy makers with implementing programmatic and communications strategies and priorities on topics related to health and health disparities of vulnerable populations, including raising awareness about the social determinants of health and promoting the integration of health equity in all policies and programs.
Previously as a research associate at the New York Academy of Medicine, Ms. Berenson supported the Academy’s Center for Health Innovation with data analysis and writing publications to examine the effects of social factors and policies on population health and health disparities in urban settings. During her doctoral studies, Ms. Berenson also served as a graduate research assistant, providing research support to faculty at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to the doctoral program, Ms. Berenson served as the senior research associate at the Commonwealth Fund. In this role, she provided research, writing, and grant making support with a focus on vulnerable populations in the U.S. Before joining the Commonwealth Fund, Ms. Berenson was a program associate at the Center for Health Care Strategies, where she worked on initiatives that enhance the organization, financing, and delivery of health systems aimed at improving the quality of care and reducing disparities among Medicaid beneficiaries. During her graduate and undergraduate studies, Ms. Berenson conducted research in global health, focusing on infectious diseases and health disparities. Ms. Berenson holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and received a master’s degree in health policy, planning, and financing jointly awarded by the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.