Senior Physician Policy Researcher; Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School
To schedule an interview, call (310) 451-6913 or email media@rand.org.
Dr. Marielena Lara is a senior physician policy researcher at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Dr. Lara leads program initiatives to improve the health and social well-being of vulnerable communities. She has spearheaded interdisciplinary teams and multisectoral partnerships in action-oriented implementation and policy research to reduce inequities in health care and community systems. Her projects have benefited varied populations including children with chronic health conditions, immigrant workers, women at risk of breast cancer, and victims of natural disasters.
Dr. Lara is an expert in data collection and analytic approaches with non-English speaking, racially, and ethnically diverse populations. Her multilingual communication expertise includes a wide range of audiences like policymakers, public and private sector leaders, and communities, authoring many scientific and policy publications, and producing educational and other content in printed, audio, and video form in English and Spanish. She earned her M.D. from Harvard Medical School/MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, her M.P.H in health services management and policy from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her B.S. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
M.D. in pediatrics, Harvard Medical School/MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology; M.P.H. in health services management and policy, University of California, Los Angeles; B.S. in mechanical engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
