Ms. Elizabeth (Lizzy) Kinnard is an experienced public health professional with a background in research, nonprofit, and philanthropic work. Prior to her role as a Senior Project Manager at Tufts CTSI, she served as the Associate Program Officer of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning at RIZE Massachusetts Foundation, which funds initiatives to end the overdose crisis across the state. She also previously served as Associate Director of Implementation Science on the HEALing Communities Study at Boston Medical Center, which aimed to reduce overdose deaths through community-engaged research.

Ms. Kinnard is trained as an epidemiologist and has a strong background in research methodology, including both quantitative and qualitative methods. She has focused on improving the health of marginalized populations, including people who use drugs, have mental health issues, and have criminal-legal system involvement. Her work has been disseminated widely via peer-reviewed publications, reports, policy briefs, and conference presentations.

Throughout her career, Ms. Kinnard has also been focused on translating research into policy and practice. As a Program Associate on the Substance Use Disorders (SUD) team at Community Catalyst, she provided technical assistance to organizations engaged in health policy and advocacy work, such as insurance coverage for SUD and enforcement of parity laws. As an intern at the Drug Policy Alliance, she analyzed federal legislation, authored policy briefs on health-centered drug policy reforms, and planned the International Drug Policy Reform Conference.

Ms. Kinnard holds an MS in Epidemiology from UC Berkeley School of Public Health, an MS in Behavioral & Social Health Sciences from Brown University School of Public Health, and a BS in Public Health from Brown University.