Team directory
Team directory
Mellissa Meisels, Assistant Professor of Political Science
Mellissa Meisels is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Yale University. Previously, she was a postdoctoral associate in the Center for the Study of American Politics at Yale and a Democracy Center visiting scholar at the University of Rochester. She received her Ph.D.
Philip Moniz, Postdoctoral Associate
Philip Moniz is a postdoctoral associate in the Institution for Social and Policy Studies and the Center for the Study of American Politics at Yale. He received a Ph.D. in government from the University of Texas at Austin in 2024. His research ranges across political behavior and political psychology, with a keen interest in the causes and consequences of voters’ policy attitudes.
Chima Ndumele, Associate Professor of Public Health (Health Policy)
Chima Ndumele is an Associate Professor of Public Health (Health Policy) at the Yale School of Public Health. His research is focused on better understanding factors which influence the way vulnerable populations connect with and access health care resources. Specifically, he conducts work in three areas. The first examines how changes in local policy environment impact the care received by Medicaid enrollees. The second area explores how safety-net organizations can improve health care services delivery.
Rourke O'Brien, Associate Professor of Sociology
Rourke O’Brien is an associate professor of sociology. His research focuses on the causes and consequences of social and economic inequalities with substantive interests in household and public finance, economic mobility, and population health.
Cormac O'Dea, Assistant Professor of Economics
Cormac O’Dea is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Yale University. He is also a Research Fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research interests are in household saving, retirement and intergenerational links in economic outcomes.
A. David Paltiel, Professor of Public Health (Health Policy); Professor of Management; Co-Director, Public Health Modeling Concentration; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
The objective that guides Dr. Paltiel’s scholarly activities is to promote a reasoned approach to decision making and resource allocation in public health and medicine. Trained in the field of Operations Research, Dr. Paltiel designs and implements policy models and cost-effectiveness analyses. He has a special interest and expertise in HIV/AIDS and has published broadly on the cost-effectiveness of testing, prevention, treatment, and care, both in the United States and around the world.
Alessandra Pappalardi, ISPS Director's Fellow, 2026
Alessandra Pappalardi is a junior studying Political Science (B.A./MA.) and the History of Science, Medicine and Public Health (B.A.). Passionate about community-building, Alessandra’s time as a Director’s Fellow will be spent in preparation for her internship this summer at the New Haven Democracy Fund.
Alessandra Pappalardi, Dahl Scholar, 2025-2026
Alessandra Pappalardi is a junior studying Political Science and the History of Science, Medicine and Public Health. Passionate about community-building, Alessandra’s time as a Dahl Scholar will be spent alongside her research partner Sabbi Gale-Donnelly studying discussion as a means to achieve social cohesion. The pair will investigate the efficacy of two kinds of dialogue structures – the mock citizen assembly and the pluralist lab – in shaping ideological trust and openness.