Colleen Heflin

Professor, Public Administration and International Affairs, Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs Link

Faculty Affiliate, Aging Studies Institute
Faculty Affiliate, Center for Aging and Policy Studies

CAPS Biography:

My research contributes to CAPS signature theme on health and well-being and all three cross-cutting themes on policy, place, and specific populations. My program of research has focused on how participation in policy interventions affects life course outcomes with a particular emphasis on measures of economic well-being. I have expertise in the policy and implementation details of U.S. social policy and my research spans the life course from early childhood to older adulthood. The CAPS pilot grant that I received in 2021 to turn my long-standing focus on the effectiveness of the SNAP program from younger to older adults was instrumental in accelerating my aging-focused research agenda. My work often focuses on several health disparity populations such as low-income households, immigrants, older adults, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. 

I have served as PI or Co-I on studies documenting population-level trends in economic well-being and social program participation, and I have evaluated specific public policies for causal impacts on direct outcomes of participation, as well as documented unintended consequences of policies. My research on the impact of SNAP in combating food insecurity among veterans led to invitations to testify before Congress in 2022, participate in a Congressional Briefing in 2023, and participate in the 2023 Veteran’s Administration Food Security Summit.