Vice President, Program Operations and Child Health Quality
kallen@chcs.org

Kamala Allen, MHS, is the vice president of program operations and child health quality at the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS). In these roles, Ms. Allen is responsible for ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of the organizational infrastructure that supports programs, overseeing CHCS’ child-focused efforts, and the direction and financial management of several multi-year initiatives. She has extensive experience in the application of quality improvement methodologies and the use of managed care in public child-serving systems.
Ms. Allen has served in previous roles at CHCS as associate director for special projects for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Medicaid Managed Care Program — where she oversaw the development and execution of state agency training in health care measurement and quality — and as associate director for program analysis and communications. Prior to that, she was a program analyst in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s Office of Program Development, and project coordinator for the Centers for Disease Control’s Maryland Center for Adolescent Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, where she co-developed and oversaw the implementation of a school-based health promotion curriculum in two Baltimore middle schools. Ms. Allen serves as a member of several advisory and expert panels. She is also a member of the National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health’s Board of Directors and the Children’s Oncology Group’s Patient Advisory Committee.
Ms. Allen holds a master of health science in maternal and child health from the Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Hygiene and Public Health. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in developmental disabilities from the University of California at Los Angeles. Ms. Allen also holds several certifications in nonprofit management.
Publications
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ReportFaces of Medicaid Data Series: Examining Children’s Behavioral Health Service Use and Expenditures, 2005-2011 July 2018
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BriefChildren in Medicaid Receiving Behavioral Health Services: Patterns of Psychotropic Medication Use, 2005 and 2008 May 2018
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BriefReportExamining Children’s Behavioral Health Service Utilization and Expenditures December 2013
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BriefMedicaid and Children in Foster Care March 2013
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ToolkitImproving Outcomes for Children in Child Welfare: A Medicaid Managed Care Toolkit February 2012
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BriefHealth Screening and Assessment for Children and Youth Entering Foster Care: State Requirements and Opportunities November 2010
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BriefSystem of Care Approaches in Residential Treatment Facilities Serving Children with Serious Behavioral Health Needs March 2010
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ToolkitImproving Medicaid Managed Care for Youth with Serious Behavioral Health Needs: A Quality Improvement Toolkit September 2009