Dozens of Mathematica experts will participate in this year’s Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) Fall Research Conference, to be held virtually from November 11–13, 2020. This year’s conference, which focuses on what happens when evidence-based programs and policies are implemented, will include several Mathematica-led presentations, panel discussions, networking events, and poster sessions. Our experts will contribute to discussions about data-driven decision making; COVID-19’s impact on child care programs, unemployment, and food security; and virtual schooling before, during, and after COVID.
As an institutional member of APPAM, we are excited to sponsor Monday’s Equity and Inclusion Fellowship Luncheon, which introduces recipients to the world of public policy and APPAM, and Wednesday’s David N. Kershaw Award presentation honoring Kirabo Jackson. Kirabo Jackson, the Abraham Harris Professor of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research, has been selected to receive the 2020 David N. Kershaw Award for contributions to public policy analysis and management.
Other conference highlights include the following:
- Mathematica’s Dr. Randall S. Brown, recipient of the Peter H. Rossi Award, will give the Rossi lecture on November 12 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Dr. Brown is a senior fellow emeritus at Mathematica, where he worked for 42 years, retiring in April 2020. Brown specialized in the evaluation design of complex interventions, focusing primarily on care coordination, primary care reform, and long-term care for Medicare and Medicaid populations. Another Mathematica alumna, Rebecca Maynard, received the Rossi Award in 2009.
- Panel Discussion—Supporting Evidence-Based Decisions During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Federal Evidence Reviews Address the Critical Need for High Quality Information. The panel, featuring Deborah Reed, will discuss how real-time policy and program needs drive the creation of new evidence resources that can inform evidence-based decision making.
- Roundtable—The Potential of Employment Services to Improve the Well-Being of Individuals with Substance Use Disorders. This roundtable, featuring Jillian Berk, will explore unanswered research questions, including appropriate settings and service delivery systems for programs, types of employment services, and appropriate targeting.
- Panel—Child Protective Services, Inequality, and Economic Insecurity. Matthew Stagner will join this panel to provide insight into changes in foster care caseloads and how economical support policies might affect child maltreatment and foster care rates in the current context of widespread inequality and economic instability.
- Panel—Even the Best Evidence Can Result in Bad Decisions (and What We Can Do About That). John Deke will join other panelists to discuss potential improvements to evidence clearinghouses, changes to program financing structures, incorporation of continuous improvement efforts, and use of Bayesian statistical methods.
- Panel—Virtual Schooling Before, During, and After the COVID Crisis: Student Outcomes, School Approaches, and Public Opinion. Brian Gill will join a panel discussing the impacts and changes to brick-and-mortar schools in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Learn more about our attendance at APPAM here.
Visit our virtual conference webpage to learn more about APPAM and other conferences Mathematica experts will attend this year.