Lael is a Senior Analyst on the Evidence & Policy Analysis team at County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R).
Lael holds a Masters degree in Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin’s LaFollette School of Public Affairs and an Energy Analysis and Policy Certificate from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. She received a B.A. in French from Yale University. Prior to graduate school, she worked as an Assistant Director for Undergraduate Admissions at Yale and as the General Manager for L’Etoile and Café Soleil in Madison, Wisconsin. During graduate school, she worked as a Project Assistant on the Evidence-Based Health Policy Project for the UW Population Health Institute and the Wisconsin Legislative Council. Her interests focus on health and sustainability, which she approaches through food, agriculture, energy, and environmental policy.
The Evidence & Policy Analysis team’s work includes What Works for Health (WWFH), an online database that provides community leaders, coalitions, and others with promising strategies to respond effectively to their health priorities. Analysts review research to rate strategies’ effectiveness in improving health and advancing equity. Strategies include policies, programs, and systems and environmental changes.