Alyssa Liehr is a senior research analyst in the child welfare program area at Child Trends. Alyssa’s interests include the experiences of older youth in foster care, systems change, LGBTQ+ and racial inequities in the child welfare system, lived expertise in research, and quantitative analysis. Alyssa is also currently a Bloomberg fellow in Adolescent Health with the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and is pursuing her MPH at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Prior to joining Child Trends, Alyssa performed program management and evaluation duties at the Newcomb Institute within Tulane University. She received a BS in neuroscience and public health with a focus in childhood trauma from Tulane University. During this time, she served as a research consultant for a small, child protection focused, non-profit, and has been very active in child welfare policy analysis and advocacy efforts relating to the experiences of older youth in foster care. Alyssa is passionate about evidence-based policy facilitating a more equitable child welfare system.