Valerie Polletta, MS

Senior Research Associate
Health Resources in Action, Inc.
Research and Evaluation Department
95 Berkeley Street
Boston, MA
USA 02116
Email: vpolletta@hria.org

Biographical Sketch: Valerie Polletta is a Research Associate at Health Resources in Action, a non-profit public health organization in Boston. In this capacity, she provides research and evaluation services that inform health program planning and measure impact. This includes conducting community health assessments and evaluation studies for health departments, hospitals, schools, foundations, and other clients with the goal of providing salient, actionable data for program and strategic planning. She holds a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Neil Maniar is currently the Director of Health Equity Programs in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Center for Community Health and Health Equity and is an Instructor in Medicine in the BWH Division of General Medicine and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Maniar collaborates with clinical and community partners to develop and implement innovative programs to eliminate health disparities, in particular those associated with infant mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer, violence, asthma, and other chronic diseases. Through a focus on the social determinants of health, these programs are designed to improve outcomes and ensure optimal health across the lifespan among residents of some of Boston’s most underserved neighborhoods. Dr. Maniar received his Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and his Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from the Yale University School of Public Health.

Papers:
3345.0 Role of landlords in creating healthy homes: Section 8 landlord perspectives on healthy housing practices 5153.0 Harnessing the power of community in health impact assessments