WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 4, 2021)—National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) announced today that Laka Mitiku Negassa has been named Microsoft Health Policy Fellow.
In her role, Ms. Negassa will be an integral member of NMQF’s policy team, producing high-quality and unbiased information for members of Congress, congressional and executive branch staff, media, and health policy experts, as well as helping to host events, research current health policy issues, and cultivate and maintain relationships with key policy stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
“The fellowship will connect innovation and research to help advance learning and address health disparities,” said Fred Humphries, Corporate Vice President of U.S. Government Affairs at Microsoft. “We congratulate Laka Mitiku Negassa on her selection as the inaugural NMQF Microsoft Health Policy Fellow.”
Ms. Negassa is an MPH graduate in Health Policy from Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University and earned her Bachelor of Science degree from University of Maryland Baltimore County studying Biological Sciences with a minor in Psychology. She was a Policy and Employment Fellow at RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Summers 2019 and 2020.
Inspired by her personal experiences in the U.S. healthcare system after a traumatic brain injury, Ms. Negassa said, “As the Microsoft Health Policy Fellow at NMQF, I am elated at the incredible opportunity of learning from and working with leaders in health policy, both at NMQF and outside. I know this will enable me to be part of the work in finding ways and means to allow everyone, especially people with disabilities in the country, to have access to quality healthcare.”
“Recent events have highlighted the discordance between the current research, delivery and financing system, and the imperatives of the populations that invest in it to protect their health,” said Gretchen Clark Wartman, NMQF Vice President for Policy and Program. “Ms. Negassa’s education, and professional and lived experiences, offer a unique perspective that dovetails with NMQF’s commitment to imbue America’s health policy and practice infrastructure with the values of patient risk mitigation, equity, and innovation. Please join us in welcoming her to the NMQF team!”
Media Contact
Kelly Ann Collins
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About National Minority Quality Forum
The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research and advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. The mission of NMQF is to reduce patient risk by assuring optimal care for all. NMQF’s vision is an American health services research, delivery and financing system whose operating principle is to reduce patient risk for amenable morbidity and mortality while improving quality of life. NMQF’s capabilities include federal and state policy analysis and advocacy; issue-specific alliance development; community-based provider quality improvement initiatives, and data analytics.