Team Members

Ben Barnard, Ph.D. — Director

Email: bbarn4@uis.edu | Phone: 217-265-4691

Ben Barnard serves as Director of the Medicaid Policy Applied Research Team. His research interests include applied data science, AI-assisted policy analysis, and healthcare system design. He brings expertise in low-code tooling and information systems to MPART's work at the intersection of technology and health policy.

Ty Dooley, Ph.D. — Research Lead

Email: tdool3@uis.edu

Ty Dooley, Ph.D. directs MPART's academic research program, including peer-reviewed policy evaluation and analysis. He leads conference preparation and provides mentorship to student researchers, guiding them through the full lifecycle of applied policy research.

Graduate Research Team

MPART employs graduate researchers from UIS programs in public health, management information systems, and statistics. Students develop professional research skills through hands-on policy work on real problems — not hypotheticals.

Interested in joining the team? Current open positions are listed on UIS Handshake.

Advisors and Consultants

MPART partners with advisors and consultants across the University of Illinois System for specialized expertise in research methodology, clinical perspectives, and policy design. This network expands our capacity to tackle complex, multidisciplinary research questions.