Emily McCartha, PhD

Emily is a Research Project Manager with the Program for Health Workforce Research and Policy. Dr. McCartha is particularly interested in the intersection of research and decision-making and policy formation. Her former research areas include public health, education, organizational structure, networks, and budget and finance.

She joins the Sheps Center after spending five years in a non-partisan research office in the North Carolina General Assembly and a brief period in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

In those roles, she contributed to and led teams that examined state-funded organizations, processes, and programs. Prior to that, Emily worked on several research teams out of NC State University. She also serves as an adjunct instructor in the UNC School of Government.

Emily completed her PhD in Public Administration at NC State University and her Master of Public Affairs at the the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School; her undergraduate degree in Urban Studies is also from UT Austin.