Jamila Michener

Jamila Michener is an Associate Professor at Cornell University, affiliated with the Brooks School of Public Policy and the College of Arts and Sciences. She serves as Senior Associate Dean for Public Engagement and inaugural director of the Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures. Her research focuses on poverty, racial inequality, and public policy, particularly in health and housing domains.

Education:

• PhD and MA in Political Science, University of Chicago
• Bachelor’s degree, Princeton University

Michener’s research examines how public policy and political institutions shape the lives of marginalized communities and how these groups mobilize to influence policy. Her work spans Medicaid’s political effects, housing rights, and structural racism in policy design.

Recent publications address Medicaid’s role in democratic participation, housing equity, and racialized policy feedback. Grants from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, Ford Foundation, and National Science Foundation support her work. She co-directs the Cornell Center for Health Equity and engages in public policy advocacy through testimonies and media.

Scientific Awards:

• Early Career Award (Ford Foundation)
• Peter Katzenstein Book Prize for Fragmented Democracy