Donovan Fobbs
Placement: National Academy of Social Insurance through the Roosevelt Institute
Donovan Fobbs is a rising senior at Michigan State University’s James Madison College, majoring in International Relations and Comparative Cultures & Politics. He is interested in social insurance because both his academic studies and his experience living with a neurological disability have shown him the importance of disability policy, economic security, and access to support systems.
His interests include disability economic justice, environmental justice, and the ways environmental factors, unequal access to healthcare resources, and other structural barriers can exacerbate challenges faced by vulnerable and historically underserved communities. He has also been involved in advocacy and community-building efforts supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds.
At the Academy of Social Insurance, Donovan will support work connected to the Disability Economic Policy Research Consortium, a partnership between the Academy and the Roosevelt Institute focused on advancing disability economic justice and economic security for people with disabilities.
Sukanya Ghosh
Placement: Indigo Hill Strategies
Sukanya Ghosh is a rising junior at the University of Illinois Chicago studying integrated health studies and public policy. A career in clinical medicine in mind, her interest in social insurance stems from hope in the possibility of socialized health insurance to resolve a paradox between the United States’ exceptionally low health outcomes and growing health expenditures. Sukanya’s broader interests in health policy and bioethics took root while researching scarce resource allocation policy at the University of Chicago, where she investigated payer-based factors that skew fairness in organ allocation models. She also helped advance a statewide campaign to establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to cap high-cost prescription drugs, working with several national non-profit organizations. As the Merton C. Bernstein Intern on Social Insurance, Sukanya will be working with Indigo Hill Strategies to support their client-driven projects on Medicare reimbursement for clinical social workers, federal sickle cell disease policy, and an independent project on the impact of Supplemental Security Income asset limits on financial stability and health for people with disabilities.
Lilly Grossman
Placement: Elevance Health
Lilly Grossman is a rising second-year Master of Social Work student at the University of Southern California and Founder and CEO of Beyond The Box Advocacy, a disability policy and systems organization focused on improving how disability systems function in practice. She is interested in Social Insurance because of how public systems shape mobility, independence, employment, and long-term socioeconomic opportunity for adults with disabilities. Lilly’s work focuses on disability policy, administrative burden, and disability support service portability across geographic lines. Her research examines how place-based systems influence geographic mobility and long-term planning for Americans with disabilities. Lilly is an Independent Research Fellow at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, where she analyzes disability-related mobility and support access using population level data. She has also conducted independent research on enforced barriers and disability support portability frameworks. As the Eileen Sweeney Disability Policy Intern at Elevance Health, Lilly will work on projects examining disability policy, healthcare access, and continuity of support for adults with disabilities and people with complex care needs.
Yasmina Issaka
Placement: KFF
Yasmina Issaka is a first-year honors Health Services Management student and Lewis & Elizabeth Dowdy scholar at North Carolina A&T State University. Her passion for social insurance stems from her passion in reshaping healthcare systems to fully support and care for underserved communities, with a specific focus in black women’s health. She understands that the key to bettering care in these communities is increasing accessibility and reducing costs through social insurance.
She is a dedicated advocate of black women’s health and the impact of misogynoir on the quality of life for black women. She also serves as the Psychosocial Health & Advocacy director of N.C A&T’s Chapter of Helping Hands Project, an organization dedicated to empowering the limb difference community through advocacy and increased access to prosthetic care. As the Leeba Lessin Intern on Health and Medicare Policy, Yasmina will conduct research and analysis with KFF’s Medicare Policy team on Medigap plans across the nation.
Saanvi Kapu
Placement: Caring Across Generations
Saanvi Kapu is a rising sophomore at Johns Hopkins University, majoring in Public Health Studies. Her interest in social insurance developed during her internship at Henry Ford Hospital — where she witnessed patients from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds face significant barriers to equitable care — sparking a deep passion for health equity and advocacy. Her specific focus lies at the intersection of long-term care policy, particularly how public investment in care infrastructure can reduce disparities for aging and disabled populations. As the Somers Research Intern on Long-Term Care and Aging, Saanvi will work with Caring Across Generations to conduct research and policy analysis to support state-level investments in care infrastructure.
Imani Robertson
Placement: National Academy of Social Insurance
Imani Robertson is a Master of Public Health student in the department of Health Policy and Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. Her commitment to health equity and a health in all policies approach has influenced her passion for social insurance and desire to learn more about the role of private and government organizations in analyzing and improving social insurance programming. She is interested in the role of economics in public health and social insurance programming, specifically focusing on how policymakers and economists evaluate the accessibility and expansion of social insurance programming while also considering the financial feasibility and economic implications of their desired outcomes.
Imani’s previous experience includes working at the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, as an operations coordinator, giving her a unique perspective on the role of regulation within the healthcare industry, and creating marketing materials related to reproductive and children’s environmental health for the Region 5 Pediatric Environmental Health Speciality Unit as a graduate assistant. This summer, as the John Burton Intern on Workers’ Compensation Research and Policy, Imani will be working at the Academy to support the publication of the 28th annual report on workers’ compensation benefits, costs, and coverage while collaborating with stakeholders to strategize the development of future reports.
Allyson Velez
Placement: Senate Finance Committee
Allyson Velez is a first year Master in Public Affairs student at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). Prior to SPIA, Allyson served as a Legislative Analyst for the California Health and Human Services Agency where she sought to advance equity rooted health policy measures. Allyson’s passion for public service and public health stems from her upbringing in a majority Latino community in California where she experienced the impacts of health disparities. She is particularly interested in government finance and creating funding revenues to advance the physical and mental health needs of communities of color. As the Congressman Pete Stark Health Policy Intern, she will work with the Democratic staff of the Senate Finance Committee to protect Medicaid funding and healthcare accessibility.
Faiz Yasin
Placement: KFF
Faiz Yasin is a rising junior at the College of William & Mary, studying Economics and Public Health. He is interested in exploring social insurance as a tool to ensure equitable access to the outputs of economic growth and innovation. Through volunteer experiences with underserved immigrant communities in his hometown, and his sustained ties to family in Pakistan, Faiz has observed how the absence of adequate social protection programs can entrench households in cycles of vulnerability. Additionally, he serves as a researcher for the Exodus Project, a student-run interdisciplinary lab at William & Mary currently focused on intervention strategies to improve maternal healthcare access for refugees in Sudan and Egypt.
As the Rashi Fein Intern in Health Policy, Faiz will work with the Patient and Consumer Protections team at KFF on a qualitative research project examining trends in patient and health plan utilization of AI, including an analysis of emerging tools, regulations, and standards on federal and state levels.
Annabella Zoslow
Placement: National Academy of Social Insurance
Annabella (Bella) Zoslow is a rising senior at American University majoring in Political Science, minoring in Legal Studies, and pursuing a Certificate in Disability, Health, and Bodies. Having lived with Type 1 Diabetes since the age of two, Bella has firsthand experience navigating social insurance systems and is committed to educating others about their importance and impact. Bella is deeply interested in advocating and lobbying for the protection of social insurance and has volunteered with several diabetes organizations, contributing to conversations about advancements in diabetes technology and how social insurance programs can better support access to innovative technologies. This summer, Bella will be supporting various Academy initiatives including historical archiving, pipeline engagement, and the Academy’s 40th Anniversary Gala.