Marquisha Johns is the associate director for Public Health Policy at American Progress, where she works to develop and advance bold solutions to tackle health disparities through a social determinants of health framework.
Before starting at American Progress, Johns studied at Georgetown University Law Center. While in law school, Johns completed internships with the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight; the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; National Health Law Program; and Groom Law Group in Washington, D.C. She has done work and research surrounding health disparities, social determinants of health, health care access, health care financing, health insurance reform, and federal rule-making and interpretation.
Before law school, Johns worked on a Medicaid demonstration waiver based in St. Louis that provided health coverage to low-income residents not eligible for Medicaid. In this role, she worked closely with patients and safety net health care providers to improve access to health services and regional health outcomes. She also holds a master’s degree in public health from Saint Louis University and undergraduate degrees in sociology and chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana.
Investments in public health not only improve the health of society but also advance equity and foster economic and climate resiliency.
Policies to strengthen the nation’s health must ensure that individuals and communities are healthy, thriving, and inclusive through long-term, sustained investments.
In its response to a request for information from the Congressional Caucus for Social Determinants of Health, CAP outlined challenges in addressing the social and economic conditions that affect health and actions Congress can take to improve them.
