Liz Gipson, MPH, is a senior program officer at the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS). In this role, she works on projects related to population health and health equity for people served by Medicaid. She also supports CHCS’ Medicaid Leadership Institute, a fellowship program for Medicaid directors focused on strengthening leadership skills and deepening expertise. Liz is particularly interested in fostering strong relationships between state Medicaid and public health agencies.

Before joining CHCS, Liz served as managing director of clinical policy at MassHealth, Massachusetts’ Medicaid and CHIP agency. While there, she helped define the agency’s population health priorities, including developing a robust perinatal health team and establishing a gender-affirming care workgroup. Her work at MassHealth focused on embedding health equity within the agency’s Section 1115 demonstration and leveraging State Plan Amendments to expand access to Medicaid-covered services.

Previously, Liz worked at Cornell University’s Northeast Americans with Disabilities Act Center where she supported training and technical assistance on accessibility across federal region two. Liz also worked at a Planned Parenthood affiliate in upstate New York as the director of public affairs, leading efforts to build community power across rural counties to advocate for legislation on health care access. Liz began her career in public health as a peer health educator, volunteer case manager, and grassroots organizer focused on sexual and reproductive health in New York City.

Liz holds a master’s degree in public health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. While in graduate school, she completed a HRSA Title V fellowship and was awarded the Kate Willrich Nordahl Health Equity Fellowship. She earned her bachelor’s degree in gender studies and art history from Barnard College.

Liz is an avid gardener and, depending on the season, you can find her tending to, planning out, or thinking about her garden. When not gardening, she enjoys exploring the Finger Lakes with her wife, lazing about with their dog, and going on a never-ending search for the perfect swimming hole with friends.