Lyra Cooper

Lyra Cooper’s research focuses on understanding and evaluating the implementation and impact of behavioral health, harm reduction, and social service programs, policies, and systems on marginalized populations using qualitative and mixed-methods approaches.

Since joining Mathematica in 2022, Cooper has worked on projects in many areas, including behavioral health, HIV and AIDS, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program, alternative payment models, and managed care. She currently manages qualitative research efforts for an evaluation of the California Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, a five-year initiative advancing equity and reducing behavioral health services access and outcome disparities among children and youth in the state. Cooper used her experience designing and implementing virtual and in-person qualitative data collection efforts to execute a six-meeting workshop, which included over 40 children- and youth-serving state and local behavioral health entities who contributed to the development of a comprehensive, system-wide theory of change. Cooper is currently conducting qualitative data collection and analysis research for the HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) to assess and understand how, where, and why HAB-disseminated products are accessed and used to improve HIV care.

Past projects include leading the analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data and learning supports provided through Primary Care First (PCF), analyzing how PCF participants integrated behavioral health and screened their patient population for health-related social needs, co-leading an analysis of New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services managed care system, and analyzing state communications readiness for the unwinding of the public health emergency. Before joining Mathematica, Cooper worked as a communications consultant, designing and implementing client awareness and advocacy campaigns by developing tailored communications strategies and tools, such as ghostwriting op-eds and letters to the editor and creating social media toolkits.

Cooper has published in leading harm reduction journals, including Harm Reduction Journal, Addiction, and Journal of Medical Internet Research. She holds a master’s of health science in social factors in health from the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.