Armelle Casau, PhD, is the associate director of child and family health at the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS). In this role, she leads initiatives focused on supporting the adoption of health care practices and policies that advance health equity and promote approaches that are family-driven and address health-related social needs. She also supports states’ alignment efforts across Medicaid, early childhood, and other family-serving systems.

Prior to joining CHCS, Armelle worked as a senior research and policy analyst at New Mexico Voices for Children, where she conducted in-depth policy research, engaged in coalition building, and informed legislators and agency staff on policy and systems change that can improve child and family well-being. Policy expertise includes health equity, health in all policies, Medicaid, systems alignment, early childhood care and education programs, two-generational strategies, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. In previous roles, she also worked on systems building, partnership development, educational programming, and strategic planning with organizations focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and spent two years in West Africa, working on public health outreach programs with Population Services International, as part of her Peace Corps service.

Armelle holds a PhD from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas, both in molecular biology.