Nadereh Pourat, PhD, is the associate center director and the director of the Health Economics and Evaluation Research Program at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. She is also a professor of health policy and management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry and a member of UCLA/Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Research. Pourat is the vice chair for cost in the California Health Benefits Review Program (CHBRP).

Pourat focuses on assessing disparities in access to care of underserved populations, including the role of the health care delivery system in disparities and health care outcomes. Within this context, she has examined disparities in insurance coverage (e.g., Medicaid, private insurance) and health care utilization (e.g., preventive, primary, specialty, oral health, mental health, acute care) in multiple settings (e.g., safety net, private practice) and for multiple populations (e.g., immigrants and undocumented, Asian Americans, low-income adults, older adults). She has also examined the role of organization of the health care delivery system (e.g., dentist, physician, and health center supply and characteristics) and efforts to modify and improve the system (e.g., primary care redesign and patient-centered medical home, safety-net system integration) on access to care of general and underserved populations.

Pourat has extensive experience in evaluations of national (e.g., the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Health Center Program), statewide (e.g., California Medicaid 1115 Waiver programs including WPC and PRIME, Health Homes Program), and local (e.g., Parks after Dark, Smokefree Housing) programs using mixed methods evaluation designs. She also has extensive experience in design and implementation of surveys of individuals and professionals and participates in design of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) by serving on the adult technical advisory committee and content specific technical workgroups.

Pourat received her undergraduate degree in psychology from CSU Northridge and her master of science and doctorate in health services at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

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Enhancing the Diversity and Productivity of Scientists in Aging Research: Contributions of the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research, 2018–2023
Journal Article
Journal Article

Enhancing the Diversity and Productivity of Scientists in Aging Research: Contributions of the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research, 2018–2023

The Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) is a flagship education, training, and development program of the National Institute of Health (NIH), and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) focused on increasing the number and diversity of researchers in aging. Authors sought to assess the program's contributions to geriatric and gerontology education by examining the scientific productivity of 294 RCMAR scientists who received pilot funding from the program during the last complete grant cycle, 2018 to 2023.

Across the 18 funded sites, the scientists obtained 53 NIH grants and 29 NIA-specific grants. They published 281 manuscripts, of which 141 were noted as direct outcomes of the pilot funding and support received through the program.

Findings: The findings indicated that the RCMAR program in its last cycle succeeded in promoting education and scientific career development of researchers from diverse backgrounds and researchers focused on health disparities to conduct transdisciplinary social and behavioral aging research.
 

Collaboration Strategies for Bridging Health, Behavioral Health, and Social Services in California's Medi-Cal Whole Person Care Pilot Program
Journal Article
Journal Article

Collaboration Strategies for Bridging Health, Behavioral Health, and Social Services in California's Medi-Cal Whole Person Care Pilot Program

Researchers identify collaboration strategies used to integrate health, behavioral health, and social services for Medicaid members in California's Medi-Cal Whole Person Care Pilot program (WPC). Data were collected as part of the statewide evaluation of WPC. Authors analyzed qualitative data to examine strategies used by pilots to integrate care, network data to identify pilots that improved cross-sector collaboration (i.e., strengthened density or multiplexity of cross-sector ties) following WPC implementation, and comparative case analysis to identify strategies that differentiated pilots that improved collaboration from those that did not.

Findings: Pilots used multiple strategies to facilitate the integration of care. Network analyses identified 10 pilots that significantly improved either density or multiplexity of cross-sector ties, and one pilot with high cross-sector collaboration prior to WPC. Compared to pilots that did not improve cross-sector collaboration, these pilots meaningfully engaged partners in program design and implementation, used braided funds, and leveraged WPC to support broader systems change. These pilots also reported fewer challenges in developing and managing contractual relationships and ensuring meaningful use of data-sharing infrastructure by frontline staff responsible for care coordination.

Data sharing is necessary but not sufficient for systems alignment. Collaboration strategies focused on addressing financial barriers to integration and strengthening normative and interpersonal integration are also needed.

parks after dark evaluation brief cover with little girls wearing PAD shirts and showing medals and infographic in the background
Policy Brief
Policy Brief

Parks After Dark Evaluation Brief, May 2024

Summary: In this infographic brief, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research summarizes information from their evaluation of the 2022 Parks After Dark (PAD) program in Los Angeles County. PAD is a county initiative led by the Department of Parks and Recreation in partnership with other county departments and community-based organizations. PAD programming — including sports, entertainment, activities, and more — was offered for eight weeks on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 34 parks between June and August 2023.

Findings: Evaluators found that PAD has made significant progress in achieving its intended goals through the provision of quality recreational programming in a safe and family-friendly environment. Besides ensuring participant’s sense of safety at parks while attending PAD programming, evidence indicates that PAD may have reduced crime in PAD parks and their surrounding areas since its inception in 2010. In addition, PAD encouraged meaningful collaboration between participating county departments and community-based organizations; contributed to participant’s feelings of well-being, family togetherness, and social cohesion; and involved a diverse range of participants in community-driven programming in a meaningful way. PAD may also have reduced the burden of disease for those that engaged in exercise opportunities.

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Cover of Parks After Dark evaluation report, May 2024
Policy Research Report
Policy Research Report

Parks After Dark Evaluation Report, May 2024

Summary: In this report, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research provides information from their evaluation of the 2023 Parks After Dark (PAD) program in Los Angeles County.

PAD is a Los Angeles County initiative led by the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) in partnership with other County departments and community-based organizations. Thirty-four DPR parks hosted PAD between June and August 2023. PAD was offered three nights a week for eight weeks, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. In 2022, PAD expanded to include one-day events around spring and winter school breaks.

Select 2023 evaluation findings include:

  • Difference-in-difference (DD) analysis indicated a reduction in crime rates in PAD parks after implementation of PAD when compared to similar parks that did not implement PAD, with 74 fewer Part I crimes and 43 fewer Part II crimes between 2010 and 2023 in all PAD parks. As indicated in 2023 PAD participant surveys, among PAD attendees who expressed not feeling safe in their neighborhood, 64% felt safe at PAD.
  • In key informant surveys, PAD partners strongly agreed that PAD improved collaboration between County departments and community-based organizations (9.3 of 10).
  • In 2023 PAD participant surveys, attendees overwhelmingly reported that PAD increased quality time with family members (96%), provided a sense of belonging within the community (96%), and improved their relationship with their neighbors (94%).
  • Of attendees who did not meet the recommended activity guidelines for their age, 76% participated in physical activity at PAD. Using a modified version of the Integrated Transport and Health Impacts Model (ITHIM), the level of physical activity at PAD, if sustained year-round, would primarily reduce stroke and ischemic heart disease and lead to an overall decline of 20 years of life lost, 20 fewer years of disability adjusted life years, and avoidance of two premature deaths for the entire PAD population in 2023.
  • A vast majority of attendees expressed high levels of satisfaction, with 97% saying they would attend PAD again and 97% also said they would recommend PAD to others. 

The 2023 evaluation findings demonstrate that PAD has made significant progress in achieving its intended goals through the provision of quality recreational programming in a safe and family-friendly environment. Evidence indicates that PAD may have reduced crime in PAD parks and their surrounding areas since its inception in 2010, while also ensuring participant’s sense of safety. Findings further indicate that PAD encouraged meaningful collaboration between participating County departments and community-based organizations; contributed to participant’s feelings of well-being, family togetherness, and social cohesion; and meaningfully involved a diverse range of participants in community-driven programming (including youth and seniors). PAD offered sports, entertainment, and other activities for children and adults with no barriers to participation and may have reduced the burden of disease for those that engaged in exercise opportunities. Overall, participant satisfaction levels at PAD remain high each year.

Read the Publications: 

Previous years:

Collaboration Strategies for Bridging Health, Behavioral Health, and Social Services in California's Medi-Cal Whole Person Care Pilot Program
Journal Article
Journal Article

Collaboration Strategies for Bridging Health, Behavioral Health, and Social Services in California's Medi-Cal Whole Person Care Pilot Program

Researchers identify collaboration strategies used to integrate health, behavioral health, and social services for Medicaid members in California's Medi-Cal Whole Person Care Pilot program (WPC). Data were collected as part of the statewide evaluation of WPC. Authors analyzed qualitative data to examine strategies used by pilots to integrate care, network data to identify pilots that improved cross-sector collaboration (i.e., strengthened density or multiplexity of cross-sector ties) following WPC implementation, and comparative case analysis to identify strategies that differentiated pilots that improved collaboration from those that did not.

Findings: Pilots used multiple strategies to facilitate the integration of care. Network analyses identified 10 pilots that significantly improved either density or multiplexity of cross-sector ties, and one pilot with high cross-sector collaboration prior to WPC. Compared to pilots that did not improve cross-sector collaboration, these pilots meaningfully engaged partners in program design and implementation, used braided funds, and leveraged WPC to support broader systems change. These pilots also reported fewer challenges in developing and managing contractual relationships and ensuring meaningful use of data-sharing infrastructure by frontline staff responsible for care coordination.

Data sharing is necessary but not sufficient for systems alignment. Collaboration strategies focused on addressing financial barriers to integration and strengthening normative and interpersonal integration are also needed.

View All Publications

Enhancing the Diversity and Productivity of Scientists in Aging Research: Contributions of the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research, 2018–2023
Journal Article
Journal Article

Enhancing the Diversity and Productivity of Scientists in Aging Research: Contributions of the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research, 2018–2023

The Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) is a flagship education, training, and development program of the National Institute of Health (NIH), and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) focused on increasing the number and diversity of researchers in aging. Authors sought to assess the program's contributions to geriatric and gerontology education by examining the scientific productivity of 294 RCMAR scientists who received pilot funding from the program during the last complete grant cycle, 2018 to 2023.

Across the 18 funded sites, the scientists obtained 53 NIH grants and 29 NIA-specific grants. They published 281 manuscripts, of which 141 were noted as direct outcomes of the pilot funding and support received through the program.

Findings: The findings indicated that the RCMAR program in its last cycle succeeded in promoting education and scientific career development of researchers from diverse backgrounds and researchers focused on health disparities to conduct transdisciplinary social and behavioral aging research.
 

Cover of Parks After Dark evaluation report, May 2024
Policy Research Report
Policy Research Report

Parks After Dark Evaluation Report, May 2024

Summary: In this report, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research provides information from their evaluation of the 2023 Parks After Dark (PAD) program in Los Angeles County.

PAD is a Los Angeles County initiative led by the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) in partnership with other County departments and community-based organizations. Thirty-four DPR parks hosted PAD between June and August 2023. PAD was offered three nights a week for eight weeks, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. In 2022, PAD expanded to include one-day events around spring and winter school breaks.

Select 2023 evaluation findings include:

  • Difference-in-difference (DD) analysis indicated a reduction in crime rates in PAD parks after implementation of PAD when compared to similar parks that did not implement PAD, with 74 fewer Part I crimes and 43 fewer Part II crimes between 2010 and 2023 in all PAD parks. As indicated in 2023 PAD participant surveys, among PAD attendees who expressed not feeling safe in their neighborhood, 64% felt safe at PAD.
  • In key informant surveys, PAD partners strongly agreed that PAD improved collaboration between County departments and community-based organizations (9.3 of 10).
  • In 2023 PAD participant surveys, attendees overwhelmingly reported that PAD increased quality time with family members (96%), provided a sense of belonging within the community (96%), and improved their relationship with their neighbors (94%).
  • Of attendees who did not meet the recommended activity guidelines for their age, 76% participated in physical activity at PAD. Using a modified version of the Integrated Transport and Health Impacts Model (ITHIM), the level of physical activity at PAD, if sustained year-round, would primarily reduce stroke and ischemic heart disease and lead to an overall decline of 20 years of life lost, 20 fewer years of disability adjusted life years, and avoidance of two premature deaths for the entire PAD population in 2023.
  • A vast majority of attendees expressed high levels of satisfaction, with 97% saying they would attend PAD again and 97% also said they would recommend PAD to others. 

The 2023 evaluation findings demonstrate that PAD has made significant progress in achieving its intended goals through the provision of quality recreational programming in a safe and family-friendly environment. Evidence indicates that PAD may have reduced crime in PAD parks and their surrounding areas since its inception in 2010, while also ensuring participant’s sense of safety. Findings further indicate that PAD encouraged meaningful collaboration between participating County departments and community-based organizations; contributed to participant’s feelings of well-being, family togetherness, and social cohesion; and meaningfully involved a diverse range of participants in community-driven programming (including youth and seniors). PAD offered sports, entertainment, and other activities for children and adults with no barriers to participation and may have reduced the burden of disease for those that engaged in exercise opportunities. Overall, participant satisfaction levels at PAD remain high each year.

Read the Publications: 

Previous years:

Q&A
Ask the Expert

Three Questions with ​Nadereh Pourat on Dental Care

A recent journal article in Health Affairs by Nadereh Pourat, the Center’s director of research, garnered attention for its headline that one-quarter of Californian children have never seen a dentist. Beneath that statistic, however, are equally disturbing data about dental health inequities. Pourat and her co-author found that even with publically-funded insurance, low-income minority children were less likely to get regular dental care. Here Pourat discusses some of the reasons why, how health care reform may affect the situation, as well as what to do about the shortage of dentists in low-income communities.

Q: Publically-insured kids go longer between dental visits. Why?

Public programs have made great strides in getting kids to see the dentist, but not as frequently as private insurance. The lower frequency may be because fewer dentists participate in public programs and these programs pay lower fees than private insurance. Parents may also not fully understand the importance of regular visits or have difficulties taking time-off from work to take their children for visits.

Q: One of the main reasons for the difference in the frequency of visits to dentists between publicly- and privately- insured kids may be because not enough dentists accept Medicaid. Is this likely to change anytime soon?

Many believe that with the recent cuts in adult dental benefits, the numbers of dentists who accept public insurance will drop. This may be specially impacting private practice dentists who did not take many of these patients and find the required paperwork too cumbersome. Health care reform may increase the number of children in public insurance and increase the number of alternative dental providers in the long run. The future is uncertain at this point.

Q: What should be done to increase the pool of Latino and African-American dentists and dentists willing to work in low-income communities?

There are some efforts underway to train more Latino and African-American dentists and to train dental students in low-income communities with the hope being that they would continue their practice in such communities. There are also school loan repayment programs that bring dentists to areas with shortages of these professionals. Another way to provide care to children in low-income communities is by bringing dentists and hygienists directly to school clinics. An added benefit to this is that it makes it easy for busy parents to ensure their children are getting dental care.

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Q&A
Ask the Expert

Three Questions with ​Nadereh Pourat on Parks After Dark

Nadereh Pourat is director of the Center's Health Economics and Evaluation Research (HEER) Program and lead author of an evaluation of L.A. County's Parks After Dark (PAD) program. In this brief interview, Pourat discusses the origin and evolution of the after-dark program, what makes it different, and whether it improved community-police interaction.

Q:  The Parks After Dark program started in 2010 as an intervention to keep at-risk teens busy and out of trouble. Has its evolution over the past seven years made it more effective?

​The program has been effective in advancing a number of its goals, such as addressing needs of a broader community by providing safe spaces for sports and recreation, and increasing perceptions of safety at parks. The spread of the program in many new parks speaks to the importance of this type of publicly funded programming in many areas of Los Angeles County. The success of the program is in part attributable to the County's recognition of the importance of such programming and dedicating funding and resources to the program.

Q:  "Let's go to the park" is a retro idea in an age where most people interact through electronic devices. What makes the program work?

​That is exactly the point. The lack of safety in public spaces, such as parks, contributes to kids and adults staying at home with their electronics instead of venturing out. Low-resource communities find it harder to join a gym or take the kids to the movies or to fun, paid activities. What has made the program successful is the opportunity to get out, exercise, and have fun with your family.

Q:  Did the L.A. County Sheriff's Department see a difference in how they were viewed by the communities with PAD program, and vice versa?

​In interviews with Sheriff's Deputies, they were acutely aware of the opportunity they had to interact with community members and building trust-based relationships. They were interested in showing kids and young adults what they do on a daily basis by bringing their mobile command centers to some parks and giving children tours. The PAD participants were particularly interested in seeing the deputies getting out of their cars and walking and interacting with people as a way of changing the perceptions of law enforcement.

Q&A
Ask the Expert

Three Questions with ​Nadereh Pourat on Public Hospitals

​Nadereh Pourat is the Center's director of research and author of the new policy brief that summarizes the evaluation of a pilot program that aimed to improve health care delivery at a group of California's safety-net hospitals. In this brief interview, Pourat discusses what prompted the program, how the evaluation of hospitals was conducted, and how the hospital systems achieved success through the program.

Q:  DSRIP was born out of a frustration with the rate of innovation and reform in public hospitals. What were the reasons for this? 

​In California, the majority of public hospitals are owned and operated by counties. They frequently face resource limitations and high demand from uninsured patients who cannot pay for their care and disabled and elderly Medicaid patients with poor health. Most of the resources go to providing care for the patients and there are limitations on how much effort can go towards innovations, improving quality of care, or improving patient experiences. Overtime these organizations have lagged behind many private hospitals with more resources. The improvements taken on by hospitals under DSRIP are essential for the ability of these organizations to keep up and remain competitive.

Q:  Participating California public hospitals met 97 percent of their milestones. That seems almost too good to be true. How was the program so successful over so many categories?

​The hospitals had five years to plan, implement and improve their outcomes. They had time to achieve their goals. The goals ranged from more easy to achieve to more complex and this variation was also helpful. Most importantly, the hospitals had a mix of optional and required milestones. When possible, they chose projects that were consistent with their prior goals, which were not previously implemented due to lack of resources.

Q:  DSRIP was a $3.3 billion program involving 17 public hospitals serving millions of patients. How did you evaluate such a large, complex project with so many different kinds of interventions?

​These evaluations require significant effort and an army of analysts. Some components were evaluated primarily using multiple hospital reports, in-depth surveys, and lengthy interviews. Others further involved analyses of large, confidential, and statewide datasets. We leveraged available data from another Medicaid Waiver evaluation ― the Low Income Health Program ― for one set of analyses, and we analyzed California hospital discharge data for another set of analyzes. We engaged experts in questionnaire design, quality of care assessment, and HIV care. We consulted with various other experts and worked closely with DHCS and CMS to complete the evaluation.

Center in the News

Health Care Premiums Will Go Up in 2025, Experts Say

Associate Center Director Nadereh Pourat said that consolidation in the health care market is usually associated with increasing costs and subsequent increases in premiums. News https://www.newsweek.com/healthcare-premiums-will-go-2025-experts-say-2023401

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Center in the News

Sutter Health approved for expansive Folsom campus

Data from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research's evaluation of California's Whole Person Care program were cited in a television news report about Sutter Health expanding its medical offerings in Folsom and the surrounding foothills. News https://fox40.com/news/local-news/sacramento-county/folsom/sutter-health-expands-medical-facilities-folsom/
Center in the News

Medi-Cal’s Dental Care Gap: Getting a Tooth Pulled Is Easy — Much Harder To Get an Implant

The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that 21% of California dentists saw Medi-Cal patients of all ages, according to data from 2019 to 2021. Also published on California Health Line. News https://californiahealthline.org/news/article/medicaid-dental-care-gap-implants-california/
In-Person

2024 E.R. Brown Symposium

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Online

Selected Findings from the Final Evaluation of the California Whole Person Care Program

Online

Demand for Aging and Disability Services Is Increasing in California: Can We Meet the Need?