Ashley M. Kranz

Senior Policy Researcher
Washington Office

Education

Ph.D. in health policy and management, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; B.A. in sociology; political science, University of Michigan

Overview

Ashley Kranz is a Senior Policy Researcher at the RAND Corporation. She conducts health services research focused on improving access to care, quality of care, and health outcomes of vulnerable populations, including children and adults enrolled in Medicaid. Kranz has worked extensively on oral health and access to dental care, studying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to dental care and the integration of preventive oral health services into medical settings. She is currently leading a 4-year NIH-funded study to examine factors promoting and deterring medical providers’ delivery of fluoride varnish. Kranz also studies the impact of health systems on high-need and low SES patients, as well as approaches used in high performing safety net clinics to promote integration across primary care, specialty care, and community-based organizations. She has also studied strategies to address the clinical and social needs of individuals dually-enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid, documented obesity interventions for American Indian youth, and evaluated state policies to reduce neonatal abstinence syndrome. Kranz received her Ph.D. in health policy and management from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

  • Promoting Children's Oral Health: Identifying Provider-, Practice-, and Community-Level Characteristics Associated with Delivery of Fluoride Varnish in Medical Offices
  • Integrated Health Systems, Market Concentration, and Socioeconomic Disparities in Quality of Care
  • Evaluation of an Innovative School-Based Initiative to Improve Receipt of Preventive Dental Care among Children Enrolled in Medicaid
  • Role of Non-Dental Providers in Reducing Disparities in Early Childhood Oral Health: Impact of State Medicaid Policies

Selected Publications

Kranz AM, Chen A, Gahlon, G, Stein, BD, "Trends in visits to dental offices during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic," The Journal of the American Dental Association, 152(7), 2021

Kranz AM, Mahmud A, Agniel D, Damberg CL, Timbie JW. , "Provision of social services and healthcare quality in US Community Health Centers (2017)," American Journal of Public Health, 110(4), 2020

Sorbero ME, Kranz AM, "Perspectives on Opportunities and Challenges for Medicare Advantage Plans to Address Social Determinants of Health via the CHRONIC Care Act," INQUIRY, 56, 2019

Kranz AM, Dick AW, "Changes in pediatric dental coverage and visits following the implementation of the affordable care act," Health Services Research, 54(2), 2019

AM Kranz, E Duffy, AW Dick, M Sorbero, RG Rozier, BD Stein, "Impact of Medicaid policy on the oral health of publicly insured children," Maternal and child health journal, 23(1), 2019

Kranz AM, Rozier RG, Stein BD, Dick AW, "Do oral health services in medical offices replace pediatric dental visits? ," Journal of Dental Research, 2020

Honors & Awards

  • Brook Scholar, RAND Health
  • Bronze Medal Award, RAND

Commentary

  • Close up of a grandfather taking his granddaughter to play some basketball in the park, photo by Geber86/Getty Images

    Choosing a Different Path for a Healthier Future After COVID-19

    Today, every American community is sitting at a crossroads, as local governments continue to address the health crisis of COVID-19 while grappling with the financial realities of maintaining operations. While some communities may take a more traditional route of only investing further in health care services, there is an opportunity to take a more holistic approach and address the multitude of factors that have contributed to the devastation of COVID-19.

    Oct 2, 2020 The RAND Blog

Publications