Lyra Cooper

Lyra Cooper’s research focuses on understanding and evaluating the implementation and impact of behavioral health, public health, and social service programs, policies, and systems on historically marginalized populations using qualitative and mixed methods approaches.

Since joining Mathematica in 2022, Cooper has worked on a range of research projects with diverse clients. She currently leads qualitative analysis efforts for a report focused on children and youth as part of a national evaluation to assess the implementation and impact of a new strategy for delivering and providing reimbursement for a comprehensive array of behavioral health services from community clinics. Cooper managed and implemented qualitative research efforts for an evaluation of the California Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, a five-year initiative focused on reducing behavioral health services access and outcome disparities among children and youth in the state. Additionally, she has and continues to lead multiple analyses for nonprofit clients, including a grantee contribution analysis, grantee portfolio journey mapping narrative, and quantitative assessment of a public health communications training series.

Past projects include conducting qualitative data collection and analysis research for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration’s HIV/AIDS Bureau, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services. Before joining Mathematica, Cooper worked as a communications consultant, designing and implementing client awareness and advocacy campaigns by developing tailored communications strategies and tools, such as ghostwriting op-eds and letters to the editor and creating social media toolkits.

Cooper has published in leading harm reduction journals, including Harm Reduction Journal, Addiction, and Journal of Medical Internet Research. She holds a Master of Health Science (M.H.S.) from the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in urban history from Barnard College of Columbia University.