CHIBE Q&A with Deborah Cousins, MSPH, PMP

Deborah Cousins, MSPH, PMP, is a project manager overseeing projects in Dr. Amol Navathe‘s portfolio. This portfolio includes projects related to alternative payment models, financial and non-financial incentive design to drive clinician practice change, and informatics to improve health care delivery.

What do you find rewarding about working at CHIBE?

The first thing that comes to mind is how great it is to interact and collaborate with CHIBE staff and faculty. Everyone, regardless of their role, is focused on our primary mission of informing health policy, improving health care delivery, and increasing healthy behavior. Knowing that we are all working together toward such important goals has had a positive impact on my work satisfaction.

Another rewarding aspect of working at CHIBE is the opportunity for life-long learning. CHIBE has demonstrated a commitment to maintaining an educated and engaged workforce by encouraging staff to acquire proficiency in behavioral economics techniques and concepts. CHIBE sponsors an array of lectures and talks led by researchers in the field of behavioral economics from Penn and other institutions. Also, last semester I was fortunate to participate in a behavioral economics class led by CHIBE’s Associate Director Dr. Allison Buttenheim. 

What’s something that people may not know about you?

Many people would not know that I am a published singer-songwriter. When I have time, which is more and more difficult with family demands, I sometimes perform these songs in public as a solo artist or in a duet/trio.