FOCUS
Katherine’s interests lie primarily in the realm of public and health economics, specifically for New Mexico, where Hispanics constitute a majority of the population. She is particularly interested in the efficacy of federal income and food assistance, racial and ethnic disparities in socioeconomic status, and children’s nutritional status and well-being. Katherine’s research passion is to use her training in economics and data science to evaluate and contribute to the ability of public systems to help communities break out of the cycle of poverty, and to do so in a way that simultaneously enhances access to health services, affordable housing, and safe neighborhoods in a meaningful, bottom-up way.
MORE ABOUT KATHERINE
Katherine’s ethnic and cultural heritage as a New Mexican gives her a unique perspective on rural Southwestern communities, and her heavily quantitative training in economics allows her to use data to think of evidence-based policy solutions.
DISSERTATION GRANT AWARDEE — MAY 2021
Three Essays on Policy, Equity, and Economics
My dissertation’s first two chapters look at the impact of grocery taxes on food insecurity and health outcomes, and the third focuses on the effect of an education policy change on student outcomes at the University of New Mexico. I am elated to receive the HPRS Dissertation Award because it is allowing me to buy equipment and a new (to me) dataset to work with in finishing my dissertation.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HPRS DISSERTATION AWARDS, CLICK HERE.
