Mathematica Policy Research welcomes Thomas Grannemann and Sarah Hughes as senior fellows. Grannemann, an expert in health care economics, policy, and program evaluation, will work in Mathematica's Health Research Division. A former Mathematica employee, he will be based in the company's Cambridge, Massachusetts, office. Hughes is an experienced international project director and survey expert. She will be based in the company's Chicago, Illinois, office, working in the International Research Division. She will provide leadership on best practices in high quality, cost-effective data collection using innovative, cutting-edge approaches in developing countries, in addition to focusing on business development and directing large projects.
Grannemann's work has included health care industry studies, cost analysis, economic modeling, program evaluation, and policy analysis. He has extensive expertise in Medicare and Medicaid policy. He comes to Mathematica from the Office of Management and Budget, where he served as a senior program examiner for the Medicare branch—and previously as chief of the Medicaid branch—to develop and oversee the President's budget. He has worked closely with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, providing key oversight on demonstrations, evaluations, strategies, proposed regulations, and budgets. Grannemann has written more than 70 briefing papers and coauthored three books on Medicaid financing and policy. He has directed research and evaluation projects for the federal government, state governments, and insurers. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Northwestern University.
"We're delighted to welcome Tom back to Mathematica," said Craig Thornton, senior vice president and managing director of health research. "His extensive experience and knowledge of Medicare and Medicaid policy will inform our work on these programs during a critical policy juncture in their history."
Hughes joins Mathematica from NORC at the University of Chicago, where she directed surveys for the past 11 years. She was a survey director for the economics, labor, and population studies department, and since 2007 was senior survey director of international projects. Her extensive experience includes directing impact and program evaluations in Africa and Latin America and national surveys in Europe and the United States. She is an expert in research and questionnaire design, large-scale surveys using computer-assisted personal interviewing, and qualitative data collection and analysis. She also has experience developing and managing large-scale survey projects using tablets and smartphones, including a study sponsored by the World Bank to assess current living conditions and municipal service delivery in Kenya. She initiated and led efforts at NORC to use laptops and tablets for international data collection and developed recommendations for project teams transitioning from laptop-based surveys to tablets. In addition, she has worked on projects for the U.S. Agency for International Development, including the Uganda School Health and Reading Project Performance and Impact Evaluation and the Rwanda Land Project Survey and Qualitative Research Methods Workshop. Hughes also directed the impact and performance evaluation of a farmer training program in Morocco for the Millennium Challenge Account. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Northwestern University.
"Sarah's expertise with innovative data collection methods in developing countries dovetails nicely with our growing work in the international area," said Anu Rangarajan, vice president and director of Mathematica's International Research Division. "Her wealth of experience and knowledge of best practices in data collection will enable us to generate and use the highest quality data to inform the evidence base of interventions in developing countries."