Fellows Program
CHSE Fellows Program
The CHSE Fellows Program builds relationships with people whose work aligns closely with our mission to advance rigorous, policy-relevant research, with a particular focus on Medicaid and other public programs.
The 2026 cohort is now closed. For questions about the Fellows Program, please contact chse-info@ohsu.edu.
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About the Fellowship
What it is
A temporary, non-salaried association with CHSE. Appointments run for one calendar year and can be renewed annually.
Who's eligible
OHSU faculty members and postdoctoral scholars, as well as select external faculty, researchers or other professionals whose work aligns with CHSE's focus areas.
How Fellows are selected
Candidates may be nominated by CHSE faculty, staff, or affiliate faculty, or may self-nominate. Final approval of all appointments rests with the CHSE Director.
What Fellows do
Fellows engage regularly and meaningfully with CHSE in ways that align with their expertise. Examples include:- Presenting at a CHSE-hosted seminar or webinar
- Participating in a CHSE-hosted panel or workshop
- Serving on a CHSE committee or workgroup
- Representing CHSE and its mission to policymakers
- Contributing to a CHSE work product (manuscript, brief, news article, etc.)
- Assisting with dissemination of CHSE's work
What Fellows receive
- The formal title "Fellow, Center for Health Systems Effectiveness," with permission to list this affiliation on CVs, grant applications, biosketches, presentations, and policy briefs
- A profile on the CHSE website and public announcement upon appointment
- Research dissemination support for selected publications
- Invitations to CHSE-hosted events involving policymakers, funders and external partners
2026 Fellows
Dr. Briana Last, Ph.D.
Last is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University. Last is an implementation scientist, mental health services and mental health policy researcher. Last researches how policy and economic forces impact mental health service systems and population mental health outcomes. Their work has increasingly focused on how to support the public mental health workforce through (1) coordinated policies to increase clinicians’ material well-being; and (2) training and supervision to support clinicians’ decision-making and self-efficacy. Last received their Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Pennsylvania in 2022. In addition to their teaching and research, they serve as a clinical supervisor in the Krasner Psychological Center at Stony Brook University. They are dedicated to training and supporting the next generation of mental health scholars and clinicians.
Daniel Nelson, M.D.
Nelson is an assistant professor and primary care internist in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at OHSU. His research interest is in evaluating the effects of health policy decisions on low-income populations in the United States using econometric techniques, especially related to administrative barriers to Medicaid enrollment and healthcare access. His current work is funded through a grant to understand how people released from jail who have opioid use disorder use Medicaid-paid services.
Maggie Reid, Ph.D. student
Reid, a quantitative health services researcher, studies how hospitals and insurers react to economic forces and policies and how these responses affect patients’ health and healthcare access. Reid's research includes hospital consolidation and access to care, private equity acquisitions of acute care hospitals, and Medicaid managed care organizations. Through these projects, her goal is to contribute to evidence-based policies and practices that improve patients’ access to quality healthcare.
Ben Thornburg, Ph.D.
Thornburg is a Health Economist and Postdoctoral Fellow within the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. Thornburg applies quasi-experimental methods to public and private health insurance claims, surveys and other administrative data to study the effects of policy and market structure on population health and equitable access to care, with a focus on behavioral and maternal health. They received their PhD in Health Economics & Policy from Johns Hopkins University in 2025.