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Alina S. Schnake-Mahl

Assistant Professor of Health Management and Policy, Drexel University
Areas of Expertise:

About Alina

Schnake-Mahl's research focuses on the social, policy, and political determinants of health disparities. Overarching themes in her work include how city and state social policies- specifically housing and occupational policies- interact to produce or reduce inequities in health.

In the News

Opinion: "Too Many Pennsylvania Workers Lack Paid Medical Leave," Alina S. Schnake-Mahl, PennLive Patriot-News, May 7, 2024.
Opinion: "America’s New Reality: Forcing Birth With No Support," Alina S. Schnake-Mahl (with Julia Craven, Jackie Jahn, and Vicki Shabo), New America, June 23, 2023.
Quoted by Ginger Christ in "Paid Sick Leave Reduces Vaccine Disparities, Report Finds," HR Dive, November 8, 2022.
Opinion: "Pump the Brakes on Reopening: COVID Is Spreading Too Fast," Alina S. Schnake-Mahl (with Usama Bilal), Daily News, April 1, 2021.

Publications

"Forced Birth and No Time Off Work: Mapping Abortion Access and Paid Family Leave Policies" (with Jennifer L. Pomeranz, Nina Sun, Irene Headen, Gabriella O'Leary, and Jaquelyn L. Jahn). American Journal of Preventative Medicine (2023).

Mentions the ability to decide whether, when, and under what circumstances to have a child necessarily includes access to safe abortion services. Finds that zero states that restrict or ban abortion have paid family leave policies.

"Considering Multiple Governance Levels in Epidemiologic Analysis of Public Policies" (with Jaquelyn L. Jahn, Jonathan Purtle, and Usama Bilal). Social Science & Medicine 314 (2022).

Proposes a model of governance analysis in which public health researchers consider at what level 1) decision-making authority for policy sits, 2) policy is implemented, 3) and accountability for policy effects appear. Follows with examples of how these considerations might improve the evaluation of the policy drivers of population health.

"Higher COVID-19 Vaccination And Narrower Disparities In US Cities With Paid Sick Leave Compared To Those Without" (with Julia Raifman, Pricila H. Mullachery, Gabriella O'Leary, Alexandra Skinner, Jennifer Kolker, and Ana V. Diez Roux). Higher Affairs 41, no. 11 (2022).

Hypothesizes that US cities with paid sick leave would have higher COVID-19 vaccination coverage and narrower coverage. Examines associations by neighborhood social vulnerability. Finds stronger associations between paid sick leave and vaccination in the most socially vulnerable neighborhoods compared with the least socially vulnerable ones, and no association in the population ages sixty-five and older.