Joan Alker

is the Executive Director of the Center for Children and Families and a Research Professor at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy.

Joan Alker is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Children and Families (CCF), and a Research Professor at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy. She is a nationally recognized expert on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and is the lead author of an annual report on children’s health care coverage trends. In 2020, Alker co-authored an article in the special issue of the journal Health Affairs on children entitled “Closing the Remaining Gaps in Children’s Coverage” and has written numerous reports, blogs, and other commentary on a wide range of issues including Medicaid Section 1115 waivers, the role of Medicaid in rural areas and premium assistance. She was also the principal investigator of a multi-year study of Florida's Medicaid Section 1115 waiver.

Alker has testified before Congress and state legislatures and is a frequent speaker and commentator; she is routinely quoted in major national and state media outlets such as the New York Times, NPR, Politico, Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and Kaiser Health News. Joan Alker holds a Master of Philosophy in politics from St. Antony’s College, Oxford University and a Bachelor of Arts with honors in political science from Bryn Mawr College.

Please contact Cathy Hope (catherine.hope@georgetown.edu) with media queries or to set up an interview with Joan.