2025 Annual Report
OUR MISSION
To drive meaningful improvements in health and health equity through collaborative research, evaluation, analytics, technical assistance, and capacity building.
OUR VISION
Engaged communities, effective programs and policies, equitable systems, and healthy people.
Welcome
Keri Vartanian, PhD
Director of CORE
WELCOME TO CORE's ANNUAL REPORT.
This past year was a difficult one for public health. Research funding declined, health systems faced financial strain, and new policies added pressure to already stretched systems—often with the greatest negative impact on low-income and marginalized communities. In the face of these headwinds, CORE remained steadfast in our mission of making meaningful improvements in health and health equity.
This past year was a difficult one for public health. Research funding declined, health systems faced financial strain, and new policies added pressure to already stretched systems—often with the greatest negative impact on low-income and marginalized communities. In the face of these headwinds, CORE remained steadfast in our mission of making meaningful improvements in health and health equity. This report shares some of that work, highlighting projects, partnerships, findings, and accomplishments across our research, evaluation, strategic consulting, and capacity-building portfolio. Inside, you’ll learn about our 20+ years of Medicaid work, and projects focused on topics such as behavioral health, data capacity, health policy, doula access, healthy births, economic mobility, and health-related social needs like housing and food access. We also saw our team grow in 2025 with the addition of several fantastic new team members. Organizationally, we focused on strengthening our internal shared learning practices and better understanding our approach to equity in terms of topics, practice, and impacts. As we move into 2026, we are thrilled to continue collaborating with so many inspiring partners on efforts aimed at building a brighter, healthier future for all. Thank you to our partners, funders, research participants, and the CORE team for all your contributions and support. We couldn’t do this work without you!
About CORE
WHO WE ARE
The Center for Outcomes Research and Education (CORE) is an independent team of scientists, researchers, and data experts with a vision for a healthier, more equitable future. We work with communities and a wide variety of cross-sector partners to take on today’s biggest barriers to better health.
WHAT WE DO
We help our partners gather, analyze, interpret, and use data and information for better decision-making and more effective programs and policies. Through this work, we deliver evidence and insights that shape and sustain healthier systems, policies, programs, and communities.
OUR PARTNERS
We work with health systems, community-based organizations, Medicaid programs, foundations, the housing, education, and criminal/legal sectors, and more.
CORE was the ideal partner, helping us analyze our data and translate it into a compelling story that showcases the impact of a vital program for Latine community leaders.”
–Ruth Zúñiga, PhD
Co-founder and Executive Director, Raíces de Bienestar
2025 By the Numbers
64
Partners &
Funders
30
Staff
14
New Projects Awarded
28
Active
Projects
15
Publications &
Presentations
7
States
OUR FOCUS AREAS
HEALTH SYSTEMS & SERVICES
We examine how health care programs, care delivery systems, and innovations impact patient and system outcomes, with a focus on equity. We support advancements in care, quality, and cost while emphasizing the voices of patients, the workforce, and the community.
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
We explore how housing, food access, transportation, education, and other social needs influence health, and how organizations and systems can respond more effectively and equitably to these needs.
HEALTH POLICY
We collaborate with health systems, government agencies, policymakers, providers, patients, and communities to evaluate health policies, apply data and analytics to decision-making, and ultimately improve access, equity, and outcomes.
OUR SERVICES
Research & Evaluation
We evaluate the impact of innovative programs and policies, and help our partners imagine how to make them better.
Data Collection & Analysis
We use quantitative and qualitative methods to collect and give meaning to complex data and apply it to decision-making and program design. We excel at working with data from across sectors such as housing, health care, and education.
Technical Assistance & Capacity Building
We provide a wide range of technical assistance and expertise and help organizations of all sizes grow their capacity to use data.
CORE'S Medicaid History
CELEBRATING 20+ YEARS OF IMPACT
Last year marked more than two decades of Medicaid-related work at CORE. In that time, we’ve explored and shaped policy and system transformation; evaluated programs led by the Oregon Health Plan’s (OHP's) Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs) and Washington State’s Accountable Communities of Health (ACHs); provided technical assistance; and developed metrics and dashboards to support data-informed decision-making.
Examples of our Medicaid work: 2005–Present
Studies of how new premiums & cost-sharing impact OHP members
Studies of OHP disenrollment & churn for adults & children
Landmark Oregon Health Insurance Experiment
Evaluation of the Tri-County Health Commons programs
Study of context, culture, governance, & payment for Oregon’s CCOs
Evaluation of Oregon CCOs’ progress on health transformation
Production of incentive metric dashboards for Oregon’s CCOs (8 years)
Production of incentive metric dashboards for Healthier Washington (5 years)
Consulting on policy, strategy, & planning for Washington ACHs
Evaluation of Health Share programs (e.g., integrated pregnancy & SUD care)
Evaluation of AllCare programs (e.g., children’s oral health & dental care)
Exploration of Oregon policy providing coverage regardless of immigration status
Study of the rollout of a new CCO language access incentive metric
Producing Health Share incentive metrics, dashboards, & analytic modeling
Updated CareOregon’s behavioral health quality metrics
Evaluation of Health Share’s housing benefit pilot
Evaluating OHA’s 2022–2027 1115 Waiver
Evaluating OHA’s 2023–2028 Contraceptive Care Waiver
Evaluating Health Share’s health-related social need capacity-building investment
Examples of our Medicaid work:
2005–Present
-
Studies of how new premiums & cost-sharing impact OHP members
-
Studies of OHP disenrollment & churn for adults & children
-
Landmark Oregon Health Insurance Experiment
-
Evaluation of the Tri-County Health Commons programs
-
Study of context, culture, governance, & payment for Oregon’s CCOs
-
Evaluation of Oregon CCOs’ progress on health transformation
-
Production of incentive metric dashboards for Oregon’s CCOs (8 years)
-
Production of incentive metric dashboards for Healthier Washington (5 years)
-
Consulting on policy, strategy, & planning for Washington ACHs
-
Evaluation of Health Share programs (e.g., integrated pregnancy & SUD care)
-
Evaluation of AllCare programs (e.g., children’s oral health & dental care)
-
Exploration of Oregon policy providing coverage regardless of immigration status
-
Study of the rollout of a new CCO language access incentive metric
-
Producing Health Share incentive metrics, dashboards, & analytic modeling
-
Updated CareOregon’s behavioral health quality metrics
-
Evaluation of Health Share’s housing benefit pilot
-
Evaluating OHA’s 2022-2027 1115 Waiver
-
Evaluating OHA’s 2023-2028 Contraceptive Care Waiver
-
Evaluating Health Share’s health-related social need capacity-building investment
2025 Projects & Highlights
Supporting investments in Portland’s
Medicaid behavioral health space
A CORE-supported data and Medicaid claims analysis is helping Health Share of Oregon (HSO) shape major investments in services for members with high behavioral health needs. This work helped guide HSO, Oregon’s largest Medicaid Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), to invest more than $7.6 million over two years in interventions to support a cohort of high-risk members. CORE is now helping HSO monitor the impact of these interventions.
CORE’s analysis was critical to informing our development of a system of interventions for some of our most vulnerable members.”
–Cat Livingston, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Health Share of Oregon
Data for Change: growing community data capacity
CORE’s Data for Change program offers technical assistance, data-related support, and collaborative learning to Providence Oregon Community Health’s community-based grantees. At least 30 organizations participated in 2025. We held our third annual in-person Data Summit and several educational webinars. We were also excited to expand this model into Washington State through a data capacity-building project with Better Health Together and its community grantees.
CORE’s Lisa Angus (left) and Apoorva Somayazulu (right) with Dr. Aileen Alfonso Duldulao of the Filipino Bayanihan Center, pictured at CORE’s 2025 Data for Change Data Summit.
Examining costs, needs, and utilization in a Medicaid housing pilot
Recognizing the links between housing and health, Oregon and other states are experimenting with housing-related benefit programs for Medicaid members. However, most health care systems are new to the housing space, and further research is needed on costs and other key considerations. Research by CORE and Health Share of Oregon (HSO), published in the high-impact Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), is helping fill those gaps.
Helping a culturally grounded nonprofit tell its data story
Latine and Spanish-speaking communities face major obstacles to mental health services and suicide prevention resources that go beyond language barriers. The Hillsboro, Oregon-based nonprofit Raíces de Bienestar (Raíces) is working to change that through its culturally responsive suicide prevention training for Traditional Health Workers and other community leaders. In 2025, CORE supported this work by helping Raíces use its data to demonstrate the impact of these trainings.
Studying Oregon’s birth doula workforce and integration efforts
Oregon was an early leader in birth doula policy and among the first states to cover birth doula services through Medicaid. In 2025, following years of advocacy and policy change, Oregon Perinatal Collaborative and Oregon Doula Association sought to understand the impacts of these investments on the state’s doula workforce. CORE’s research and interviews with working doulas offer evidence of real progress, with many opportunities ahead.
Doulas residing per 1,000 births (2024)
The number of registered doulas residing per region is derived from the THW registry extract (May 2025, N = 457).
Understanding what providers need to integrate pharmacogenomics (PGx)
PGx tests examine how your genes may affect your response to medications. That extra information could improve care decisions and outcomes. However, widespread adoption of these tools in today’s health care system remains challenging, and further research is needed to guide these efforts. Research and an environmental scan by CORE for Providence Genomics offer several key lessons for providers and decision-makers.
CORE’s analysis provided actionable strategies for bringing PGx into everyday clinical practice and identified areas where it can have the greatest impact. We’ve used these insights to successfully launch two pilots, and we aim to expand this personalized care system-wide.”
–Lilly Yuan
Pharmacogenomics Pharmacist, Genetics & Genomics Program, Providence
Revealing the factors that shape heart disease treatment adherence
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD), a type of heart disease and a leading cause of death globally, is often managed with medication. However, patients must receive and follow their prescribed treatments. A study co-authored by researchers from CORE, Providence CARDS, and Providence Health Research Accelerator revealed factors that influence why patients do, or don’t, adhere to their treatments, including negative health care experiences, patient-provider communication, and unmet social needs.
As health care systems work to improve ASCVD outcomes, this research points to several clear priorities: strengthen patient-provider communication, address social determinants of health, and support providers so that they can provide sufficient time, information, and respect in every interaction.”
–Sarah Roth, PhD
Research Scientist, CORE
Building a system to evaluate a 10-year community investment
Sobrato Philanthropies’ Thriving Communities (TC, formerly Silicon Valley Program) is a major 10-year philanthropic investment in economic mobility for the Silicon Valley region of California. Since 2024, CORE has worked with TC and its partners to build a framework to measure the impacts and ripple effects of this wide-ranging strategy. In 2025, we focused on establishing key outcomes, measures, and analysis plans to track TC’s impacts.
Daniel J. Fish selected for OHA Metrics & Scoring Committee
We’re proud to share that in 2025, CORE Data Scientist Daniel J. Fish, PhD, was selected to serve as a measurement expert on the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Metrics and Scoring Committee. Dan’s expertise will be a fantastic asset to the committee’s work selecting quality measures and benchmarks for Oregon’s Medicaid CCO Quality Incentive Program (QIP).
Examining patient views on a
partnership to improve birth equity
As more health systems look to partner with culturally specific organizations to improve health outcomes, patient voices are key to shaping more impactful partnerships. In 2025, CORE continued working with Dr. Roberta Hunte of Portland State University to study patient perspectives on Providence’s partnership with Multnomah County Healthy Birth Initiatives (HBI).
This study reinforces what many in maternal health already know: culturally specific programs can make a real difference for Black patients and their babies.”
–Monique Gill, PhD, MPH
Research Scientist, CORE
Sarah Roth briefs lawmakers on the links between food access and health
In October 2025, CORE Research Scientist Sarah Roth, PhD, joined partners from Providence’s Population Health Program and Community Teaching Kitchen to testify to a committee of Oregon legislators on the links between food access and health outcomes. The evidence they shared underscores the urgency of protecting programs such as SNAP.
From left: Shelley Yoder, Director of Community Health, Providence, Oregon Region; Oregon State Senator Deb Patterson; Sarah Roth, Research Scientist at CORE; and Heidi Davis of the Providence Milwaukie Community Teaching Kitchen and Family Pantry. Photo taken at the Oregon State Capitol.
Lessons from an older adult-led changemaking initiative
Since 2024, CORE has partnered with The SCAN Foundation as a shared learning partner on its Advancing Health Equity in Aging initiative. Over 18 months, CORE conducted interviews and gathered data from Equity Community Organizing (ECO) groups of older adults and stakeholders in four California communities that were working to identify a health inequity affecting older adults and propose a potential solution. Our work offers lessons for anyone pursuing a similar community-led approach.
We learned so much from the ECO Groups, not only about local needs, but also about what it takes to stand up highly engaged community-led stakeholder groups.”
–Narda Ipakchi, MBA
Vice President of Policy and Programs, The SCAN Foundation
2025 Publications, Reports, & Resources
In 2025, we published a variety of reports and peer-reviewed journal articles. We also delivered data-related webinars for community partners and presented our work at several conferences. Read more at the links below.
For more current and past publications, webinars, and reports, visit CORE'S page on Providence Digital Commons.
CORE’s Aisha Gilmore presenting at our 2025 Shared Learning Day.
CORE’s presenters at the 2025 Oregon Public Health Association Annual Conference and Meeting.
CORE’s presenters at the 2025 Cascadia R Conference, which focuses on programming and data science.
What's Next
Here are some of the exciting projects CORE is working on next.
Supporting community health improvement plans for Oregon’s CCOs
CORE will help the OHA and its Medicaid providers understand overlapping and new requirements under House Bill 2208 for community health improvement plans for CCOs and their partners.
Collaborating with Greater Health Now to evaluate local initiatives
CORE will design evaluation plans for several key initiatives of Greater Health Now, an ACH in Washington, such as community paramedicine and community health worker workforce development.
Using data to guide investments in care and community connections
CORE will work with Washington’s CHOICE ACH and its partners to identify characteristics of populations with high health care usage to inform investments in care and needed community services.
Identifying transportation needs data for a rural health coalition
CORE is partnering with the Clatsop Rural Health Coalition in 2026 to use data to identify local transportation needs and barriers for substance use disorder treatment.
Studying the impacts of a Community Teaching Kitchen
With funding from the William E. and Thelma F. Housman Foundation for Medical Research, CORE will study the impact of the Providence Milwaukie Community Teaching Kitchen’s services on key measures of diabetes management and health care utilization.
Delivering a learning series on a key CCO foster care metric
CORE will support OHA’s six-month learning series for CCOs and provider partners focused on improving performance on the CCO incentive metric for timely health assessments for children entering foster care.
With Gratitude . . .
Members of the CORE team at our 2025 Shared Learning Day.
... to all our partners and funders, project participants, and community stakeholders for your collaboration and support. We’re proud to be a part of your important work!
... to the community members, providers, and survey and interview participants who put your trust in us and took the time to contribute to this work by sharing your insights and experiences.
... to the entire CORE team for your hard work, ideas, and commitment to advancing health and health equity every day.
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