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In This Issue:
As the new director of Women’s Health Policy and Advocacy at the Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology, Shelley Stark is helping BWH inform public policy affecting the health of women at the local, state and national levels.
Stark, who joined BWH in March with 18 years of experience in conducting health and social policy research to investigate health outcomes for women and families, is collaborating with policymakers, health care providers, public health practitioners and researchers to inform policy relative to women’s health issues.
“One of the things most important to me is to build on the work in progress at the Connors Center to bridge clinical research and practice to policy,” Stark said. “With our wealth of expertise here at BWH we have great opportunity to transfer and apply knowledge to public policy to improve health for women in our community, state and beyond.”
She received her MPP in health policy from Georgetown University, and her BA in biology and psychology from Wesleyan University. Most recently, she worked as a health policy analyst for the Boston regional division of Health Resources and Services Administration. She also has worked as a research analyst for the Harvard Family Research Project, a policy analyst for the Center for Law and Social Policy and a project director for the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health.
In addition to her professional experience, Stark believes that being a mother to a 3-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter enriches the skills and knowledge she brings to her work. “I understand and support the many roles of women,” she said. “I am teaching my daughter that it is possible to work in a place that does the same, and encourages women to take leadership roles as well.”
Piper Orton, director of Women’s Health Programs, said, “Shelley’s breadth and depth of professional experience, and her understanding of health care, public health and health policy, make her the ideal person to build connections inside and outside the institution to support BWH’s important role in improving the health of women.”