Katy Falletta is a research scientist who specializes in maternal and child health, home visiting, and family and community engagement in programs and research. Her interest in early childhood stems from a commitment to reproductive justice and ensuring that families have the resources they need to thrive.

Katy is currently project director for a HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration)-funded study on home visiting implementation quality, and previously co-led work to better understand the implementation of family engagement and leadership activities as part of an evaluation of North Carolina’s Preschool Development Grant. In addition to home visiting and family engagement, Katy’s work at Child Trends has included projects to address child care quality improvement, child care licensing, and social and emotional learning. Her methodological areas of expertise include mixed-methods and qualitative program evaluations and research, and she has experience supporting partners in program implementation, research, and using data for decision making. 

Prior to joining Child Trends, Katy received her Master’s degree in public health from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, where her coursework focused on population and family health and public health research methods. Her research in graduate school included a qualitative, community-based participatory research study examining pregnancy intention screening practices in primary care settings. She also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic and led monitoring and evaluation at a global health organization.