Kayla is a skilled, passionate health policy professional with experience covering health policy legislation, research, complex policy and data analyses, and strategic planning for leading DC-area institutions.

Kayla joins McDermottPlus from the principal non-partisan legislative branch agency in Washington, DC, providing information, evaluations, and recommendations on Medicaid and CHIP for stakeholders in Congress, executive branch decision-makers, and state-level leaders. As an investigative specialist, Kayla led the agency’s work analyzing racial and ethnic health disparities among Medicaid beneficiaries. She was an integral force in authoring the organization’s public statement committing to combat institutional racism and address racial disproportions in healthcare and health outcomes. She also provided detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis of various Medicaid payment and coverage policies, including those regulating hospital, nursing facility, and health center services, provider acceptance of Medicaid and other insurance, value-based care, and maternal health.

Kayla recently worked as a senior advisor to executive leadership teams of small, minority-run, for-profit and non-profit organizations. Her prior career experiences also allowed her to combine her strategic expertise with her interests, working to address the social determinants of health of school children and their families. Previously, Kayla worked as a health policy legislative fellow for a senior US Senator and researcher for The George Washington University.