Lisa R. Shugarman, Ph.D., is the director of policy for The SCAN Foundation, managing state and national policy activities for the foundation. She holds a Ph.D. in health services organization and policy from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. Prior to joining The SCAN Foundation, Dr. Shugarman was a health policy researcher with the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, Calif. During her nine-year tenure with RAND, her research focused broadly on the needs of vulnerable populations, including seniors and people with disabilities.

Among the many topics she has worked on are estimating the impact of special payment policies within Medicare; developing measurements for and evaluating the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries; palliative care policy; demographic and geographic disparities in health care among individuals nearing the end of life; identifying policy options to support consumers in need of long-term services and supports; and developing and evaluating assessment tools and information systems to support the integration of home- and community-based services. Dr. Shugarman is the author of over 40 peer-reviewed publications and has taught courses in program evaluation and guest-lectured on various issues in health policy. The results of her work have helped to inform policymakers at the local and national levels.