Bethany Saunders-Medina

Bethany Saunders-Medina
Policy Analyst
Santa Monica Office

Education

M.A. in religious studies, Claremont Graduate University; M.A. in education, Pepperdine University; B.A. in history, Pepperdine University

Overview

Bethany Saunders-Medina (she/her) is a policy analyst and coordinator for the RAND Institute for Civil Justice (ICJ) and the Kennth R. Feinberg Center for Catastrophic Risk Management and Compensation where she helps manage research portfolios and overall center operations. Her work focuses on the areas of access to justice, workers' compensation, catastrophic risk management, and cyber insurance.

Prior to joining RAND, she served as research director at University Advancement for California State University Dominguez Hills. She has a BA in history and an MA in education from Pepperdine University and an MA in religion from Claremont Graduate University.

Research Focus

Selected Publications

Dworsky, Michael, Bethany Saunders-Medina, COVID-19 and Workers' Compensation: Considerations for Policymakers, RAND Corporation (PE-A1346-1), 2022

Pace, Nicholas M., Bethany Saunders-Medina, Jamie Morikawa, Sanjana Manjeshwar, and Anne Bloom, COVID-19 and the Courts: Lessons from the Pandemic, RAND Corporation (CF-A1299-1), 2021

Saunders-Medina, Bethany, Jamie Morikawa, Well-Being in the Legal Community: From Promise to Practice, RAND Corporation (CF-A1212-1), 2021

Commentary

Publications

  • Corner Market cashier Effren Luckett (right) wears a mask while serving customers that don't always do the same in Jackson, Mississippi, October 26, 2021, photo by Barbara Gauntt/USA Today via Reuters

    Report

    COVID-19 and Workers' Compensation: Considerations for Policymakers

    The authors examine how and why policymakers have extended workers' compensation benefits to employees who are required to work outside the home during the COVID-19 pandemic and pose questions to help policymakers meet future public health crises.

    Jan 11, 2022

  • A lawyer consulting with a man and a woman, all wearing face masks to protect against spread of COVID-19. Photo by Andrey Popov / Adobe Stock

    Report

    COVID-19 and the Courts: Lessons from the Pandemic

    The U.S. civil justice system was forced to change in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Panelists in this virtual conference addressed the effects of COVID-19 on the civil justice system and how lessons learned can be applied going forward.

    Jun 4, 2021

  • A woman wearing a suit, sitting in an office, holding her head as if having a headache. Photo by katleho Seisa / Getty Images

    Report

    Well-Being in the Legal Community: From Promise to Practice

    These conference proceedings from an event organized by the RAND Institute for Civil Justice summarize key points made during a discussion among stakeholders in the legal community about mental health and well-being.

    May 11, 2021