Kimberly Phu
Policy Analyst

Kimberly Phu is a Policy Analyst at the Colorado Health Institute. Her work includes research and analysis, program support, program management, and stakeholder engagement for government, nonprofit, and other CHI partners. She regularly contributes to our equity, behavioral health, and access to care portfolios and is active in the community, serving on the Denver Asian American Pacific Islander Commission.
Previously, Kimberly worked as a Clinical Quality Improvement Manager, tracking patient health outcomes, resolving gaps in patient care, and managing participation in value-based payment programs and clinical research projects for a physician-owned practice. She also worked as a Junior Data Analyst with the Medical Group Management Association, helping to produce comprehensive health care benchmark data reports.
A Colorado native, Kimberly received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Boulder, double majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology and integrative physiology. She earned her master’s degree in public health, concentrating in health systems, management, and policy from the Colorado School of Public Health at the Anschutz Medical Campus. Through her practicum and capstone experiences, she worked with local nonprofit organizations to identify gaps in mental health care, improve early childhood development screening processes, and develop an evaluation plan for a community housing assistance program.
Sample Projects:
- Lead author: Reaching Kids Before the Crisis; Stigma and Systemic Barriers; Resilience and Protective Factors; and Suicide in Colorado
- Behavioral Health Administration and the Office of Behavioral Health: Bridging the Gaps: Policy Recommendations to Implement a Cohesive Statewide Care Coordination Infrastructure and Partnering for Success: A Roadmap for Promoting Behavioral Health Across Colorado's Criminal Justice Continuum
- Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing – Alternative Payment Model for Primary Care Stakeholder Engagement
- Colorado Health Information Governance Guidebook
- Blogs: Women in the Workplace: An Essential Piece of the COVID-19 Recovery Puzzle; Anti-Asian Racism is a Public Health Crisis; Moving the Needle on Vaccine Hesitancy; and A New Year, A New Hope: Lessons From COVID-19 and The Road Ahead
Skills: Research and analysis, stakeholder engagement, program evaluation
Focus Areas:
- Behavioral Health
- Health Equity
- Health Care
- Public Health
I Do This Work Because… I believe health is a human right. The intersection of health care, public health, and health policy is where we can work toward a world where every person has equitable access to health care services and to ensure the conditions in which people have the opportunity to thrive and be healthy. But to accomplish this work successfully, we need collaboration across all sectors and sound evidence and analysis. I believe CHI helps make this possible, and that through our research, we can help leaders make informed, evidence-based decisions and encourage equity in all policies.