Healthcare for the Homeless

Guest Bio: Barbara DiPietro, PhD

Barbara DiPietro, PhD, has been working in public policy for 15 years, many of them specifically focused on health care and homelessness.

She holds a Master's Degree in Policy Sciences and a Doctorate in Public Policy, both from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her dissertation research focused on the impact of homelessness on emergency departments in Baltimore City, and she continues to work to ensure that health care systems can better serve vulnerable populations.

For 10 years, she worked for the State of Maryland in the Governor's Office as well as the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, helping coordinate health and human services policy and legislation, inter-agency children and family services, and the state's 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. Barbara previously served in the U.S. Peace Corps, working to address maternal-child health issues in Malawi, a small country in southeast Africa. At this time, she is Senior Policy Director for two organizations—for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council and for Health Care for the Homeless of Maryland.

In these dual roles, she is able to focus on national, state and local health policy, with a specific aim to ensure the implementation of the Affordable Care Act accommodates the unique needs of homeless populations.