
Annette Gardner, PhD
Two decades of collaborating with philanthropic and nonprofit leaders, policymakers, and public agencies to address complex problems. Special expertise in expanding access to care, in strengthening community health centers, advancing healthy communities, and evaluating advocacy and policy change initiatives. A broad thinker, I am committed to generating and using credible evidence to support continuous learning, improve decision-making, and strengthen programs.
An investigator, evaluator and educator trained in political science with extensive experience in health care and public health. Directed studies focusing on California’s health care safety net and county-level coverage expansions to increase the access of the medically underserved. Director of an eight-year evaluation of clinic consortia in achieving policy gains for community health centers and their communities. Lead consultant of a three-year evaluation of the Veterans Health Administration’s interprofessional collaboration (IPC) primary care training program. Experienced in both qualitative research methods (such as focus groups, observations, case studies, interviews) and quantitative methods (such as surveys, financial analyses). Academic and professional experience in teaching and applying planning and futures studies approaches to communities, organizations and schools. Presented research and evaluation findings to policymakers, public agencies, foundations and communities and published in national, peer review publications, including Health Affairs and the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.