Kate Shamszad, MS, MPH

As Director of Policy, Kate Shamszad works to advance Medicaid and health policies that increase access and affordability to high-quality health care for all New Jerseyans. Kate works to identify best-evidence solutions to better serve beneficiaries and to identify emerging challenges in payment, service delivery, and program administration.

Kate previously served as a Clinical Director of Child Life and Integrative Care at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center — and her leadership there and in other clinical settings gives her valuable insight into the delivery of care, and the connection between health policy and implementation. At the MPC, Kate works in partnership with the State and stakeholders. She identifies best practices in care delivery, analyzes existing state practice and performance, reviews analytics and data, and convenes multi-stakeholder groups to work toward innovative solutions.  A primary focus of her current work is on implementing a CMS-funded pilot program, Integrative Care for Kids, that focuses on universal social and behavioral health screening for kids and wrap-around support for children at high risk for health complexity in the community.

Kate has a Bachelor of Science in biology from the George Washington University, a Masters of Science in Child Life from Bank Street College of Education, and a Masters of Public Health degree from the University of West Florida.  Kate also serves on the executive board for the National Association of Child Life Professionals.