About Voices of Child Health in Chicago

Voices of Child Health in Chicago is a program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago that focuses on surveying Chicagoans to better understand the issues that impact child health in our city.

By asking Chicagoans directly about child health, we gain important perspectives and insights that sometimes can be overlooked in health research and policies. We are committed to bringing our research findings to the public to help foster an open dialogue about child health. By polling the public for its perspectives, we make sure that community views are part of our city’s conversation about child health. Rather than taking a position on issues, our position is that the public should be heard.

Meet the Team

Marie E. Heffernan, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics; Director, Voices of Child Health in Communities; Scientific Director for Quantitative Science, Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research, and Evaluation Center Catalyst program; Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Marie E. Heffernan, PhD, serves as the Director for Voices of Child Health in Communities. She is responsible for overseeing survey research and dissemination of research findings. She previously worked in research administration at Northwestern University and on an interdisciplinary social sciences research initiative at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also serves on the Metrics Working Group for West Side United, a collaboration among healthcare, non-profit, and government partners to address health inequity on Chicago’s West Side. Marie received her doctorate in social psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a focus on survey methods, human development, and relationship science.

Carly G. Menker, MS

Research Coordinator, Voices of Child Health in Chicago, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Carly G. Menker, MS, serves as the Research Associate for Voices of Child Health in Chicago. She primarily helps with the writing, editing and marketing of the monthly Voices reports, however, she also collaborates with the team on manuscripts and other projects. Carly previously worked at the American Academy of Pediatrics News and presently conducts radiation oncology research at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She received her Bachelor of Science in journalism from Northwestern University, earned her Master of Science in health, science, and environmental journalism at Northwestern University, and is starting medical school this summer.

Ashley Keese, MPH

Statistician, Data Analytics and Reporting, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Ashley Keese, MPH combines her expertise in epidemiology and applied statistics to analyze complex survey data and uncover insights on child and family health in Chicago. At Lurie Children’s, she collaborates on survey design, data interpretation, and dissemination of findings through reports and publications. Previously, Ashley served as an epidemiologist for the State of Tennessee where she honed her skills in health survey design and analytics. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Neurobiology with a minor in Global Health from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned her Master of Public Health from Emory University.