Kimberly Aguillard

Kimberly Aguillard’s work centers equity in policy analysis and program design, implementation, and evaluation. She is a qualitative researcher who advocates for and prioritizes accessible and inclusive research practices.

Since joining Mathematica in 2021, Aguillard has worked on a range of projects related to health equity, disability, interpersonal violence, and home and community-based services waivers. Currently, she is deputy task lead for the equity assessment component of the Equity Technical Assistance and Training Center within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She has developed a series of training and technical assistance resources to help HHS staff and offices build their capacity to conduct (1) effective equity assessments of existing programs, policies, and processes and (2) strong assessments of equity impact for proposed policy or program changes. For the Minority Youth and Centers for Independent Living (MY-CIL) Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project, she led focus groups with out-of-school youth with disabilities from underrepresented groups to learn about their experiences and self-defined transition needs. This work helped inform focused interventions for MY-CIL. She also supports and leads a community advisory committee and qualitative data analysis for the Iowa Home and Community-Based Services Waiver Redesign.

Growing up as a child with blindness in a rural community, Aguillard learned self-advocacy skills and the importance of activism. She recognizes the value of collective action to transform barriers into opportunities. She is dedicated to promoting equity and engaging communities that have been marginalized by systems and institutional practices to harness and amplify their insights and expertise.

Aguillard holds a Ph.D. in health care management and policy from the University of Texas Health Science Center.