Emily Johnson

Managing Director of Research, Evaluation, and Convening

Emily Johnson headshot

I Do This Work Because

Health and access to health care are key to helping Coloradans live their best lives, and I want to support policymakers and communities working to create a more equitable system. There is no shortage of rhetoric and dogma in health care policy debates, and we are morally obligated to add objective, evidence-based analysis to the discussion whenever possible. I believe CHI’s place as a responsible steward of data, analysis, and sense-making is more important now than ever before.


Favorite Place in Colorado

Santa Fe Arts District


Favorite Quote

"The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition."

Carl Sagan


Favorite Podcasts

More Perfect; Serial; Freakonomics

Emily Johnson, Managing Director of Research, Evaluation, and Convening, is responsible for ensuring the quality, accuracy, and relevance of CHI's products and deliverables. As a member of the senior leadership team, she is involved in strategic planning, goal setting, relationship-building, and team development.

Previously Director of Policy Analysis, Emily oversaw data analysis for CHI, including for the biennial Colorado Health Access Survey. She has led a variety of projects with an emphasis on quantitative analysis and financial modeling. Her work involves developing statistical models to estimate localized data, such as prevalence rates by ZIP code, and studying how both local and federal proposals could impact Colorado, its budget, and the health of our residents. She also leads quantitative and policy analysis on health topics including mental health, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid expansion, and the financial impact of informal or unpaid caregiving.

During the pandemic, Emily supported the governor’s Innovation Response Team and served as a member of CHI’s elite Strike Team, formed in 2020 to quickly respond to the public health crisis caused by COVID-19.

Before coming to CHI, she worked as an analyst with national and international health nonprofits.

Emily earned a master’s degree in health services research from the University of Colorado. Her academic work focused on associations between state regulations and nonprofit hospital community-benefit spending and behavior. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

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Emily Johnson speaking at Hot Issues in Health
Emily Johnson gives opening remarks at the 2022 Hot Issues in Health conference.

Sample Projects:

Skills: Financial modeling, quantitative analysis, policy analysis, economic analysis, presenting

Focus Areas:

  • Behavioral Health
  • Medicaid
  • Immigrant health
  • Public policy
  • Health expenditures
  • Hospital community benefits

Contact Emily