KRISTA M PERREIRA is an assistant professor of public policy at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill.   She did her undergraduate work at Pomona College, received her Masters from Yale University, and completed her Ph.D. in Health Economics from the University of California at Berkeley.  Her research focuses on the inter-relationships between family, health and social policy with an emphasis on racial and gender disparities in health status and economic opportunity.  Populations of particular interest to Dr. Perreira include immigrants, low-income women and children, and Latinos.

In collaboration with Dr. Kathleen M. Harris, Dr. Perreira recently began a study “Health, Education, and Economic Well-Being of Adolescent Immigrants in the United States.”  This project is funded by the Russell Sage Foundation and is being conducted through the Carolina Population Center.  In collaboration with Dr. Mimi Chapman, Dr. Perreira has also received funding from the Jordan Institute for Social Work for a pilot study of Mental Health among Latino immigrant Children in North Carolina.

Prior to joining the faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill, Dr. Perreira worked as a research associate at the Center for Health Policy, Law and Management at Duke University and as a research fellow at the Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC-Chapel Hill.  During this time, she managed research projects on substance abuse and participation in public assistance programs.  During her graduate training, Dr. Perreira conducted research on Medicaid policy, the dynamics of participation in public assistance programs, and the effects of local labor markets on public expenditures. Her worked involved collaborations between the Department of Social Services, the Department of Health, the University of California Data Assistance and Technical Archive, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the California Health Insurance Policy Program. Before pursuing her Ph.D., Dr. Perreira was with the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) in Los Angeles where she evaluated policies concerning the financing of long-term care insurance for the elderly and the financing and delivery of services through the Medicaid program.

Research Interest:  Health and social welfare policy, immigration policy, racial and gender disparities in health and economic opportunity.

Major Field:  Health Economics

Minor Fields: Labor Economics, Public Finance
 

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