Building Stronger Workforce Systems

Independent research, evaluation, and strategy for organizations shaping healthcare and disability workforce policy.

Evidence to guide workforce strategy, program design, and funding.

Explore Our Work
Explore Our Work

Our Work

We partner with nonprofits, national organizations, and public agencies to design, evaluate, and strengthen workforce systems.

Workforce Research & Analysis

  • Survey development, implementation, and statistical analysis

  • Administrative and longitudinal data evaluation

  • Workforce pipeline and labor market analysis

  • Compensation, retention, and turnover research

  • Job quality and economic security studies

  • Employment pathway analysis

  • Independent evaluation of workforce initiatives

  • Outcome and impact assessment

  • Implementation-sensitive analysis

  • Funding-aligned performance metrics and outcome reporting

  • Disability employment programs

  • Equity-focused evaluation design

  • Something about the workshops Research-to-Reality Executive Workshops
    Evidence-based strategy sessions grounded in original workforce research, designed for executive leadership teams navigating policy, funding, and system change

  • Workforce advising

  • Data-driven support for grant proposals

  • Evidence briefs for legislators and policymakers

  • Translating research into actionable strategy

Program & Policy Evaluation

Strategy & Funding Alignment

Selected projects

Direct Support Professional Workforce Study
Large-scale workforce study with over 4,500 frontline staff examining turnover intentions, compensation, and economic insecurity .

The analysis clarified structural drivers of instability in the direct support workforce and informed executive strategy sessions, state-level funding advocacy, and national workforce policy discussions.

Findings equipped leadership teams with data to guide retention strategy, board discussions, and funding conversations.

Healthcare Workforce Stressor Study
Mixed-methods lived experience research with nurses in a public hospital to examine stressors, sources of distress, and consider interventions that may reduce psychological distress

Results contributed to negotiations regarding pay and working conditions and provided evidence to support structural interventions aimed at workforce stability.


Mixed-methods research examining workforce entry pathways, retention patterns, and compensation structures in publicly funded healthcare systems.

  • Healthcare Workforce Retention Analysis
    Administrative and survey-based study examining job quality, retention, and pipeline development.

  • Conducted data analysis and workforce pipeline modeling to assess retention patterns and funding adequacy across provider networks.

Workforce economic insecurity research

  • Published in Disability & Health

Public Sector Disability Internship Program Evaluation
Independent evaluation of a citywide internship initiative assessing job readiness, supervisor attitudes, and post-internship pathways.

Findings informed program redesign, funding justification, and expansion planning, with implications for public-sector disability employment policy

Executive Leadership Workshops on Workforce Strategy
Designed and led executive-level workshops for healthcare and disability sector leaders, translating original workforce research into operational decision-making, board communication, and workforce strategy.

Findings equipped leadership teams with material integrating sector data, economic analysis, and facilitated strategic planning to support high-level organizational and policy decisions.

  • focused on workforce sustainability, funding alignment, and organizational strategy.

  • Executive Briefings & Strategy Sessions Based on Original Workforce Research

    Designed and led executive-level workshops for healthcare and disability sector leaders that translate original workforce research into strategic decision-making. Sessions integrate new empirical findings, sector data, and structured analysis to support funding alignment, sustainability planning, and organizational strategy.

    Designed and facilitated executive workshops translating original workforce research into funding strategy, board communication, and operational decision-making.

  • Direct Support Professional Workforce Study
    Survey- and administrative-data analysis of turnover intentions, compensation, and food and housing insecurity among frontline disability services staff. The study connects job quality to workforce stability and policy design.

  • Led research on compensation, turnover, and economic insecurity among direct support professionals.

  • Public Sector Disability Internship Program Evaluation (NYC)
    Independent evaluation of intern employment pathways and supervisor outcomes; findings used to inform funding renewal strategy.

  • Independent evaluation of internship-to-employment pathways for individuals with disabilities. Analysis of administrative and survey data informed funding alignment and program design adjustments.

Healthcare Workforce Retention Analysis
Mixed-methods research examining workforce entry pathways, retention patterns, and compensation structures in publicly funded healthcare systems.

  • Healthcare Workforce Retention Analysis
    Administrative and survey-based study examining job quality, retention, and pipeline development.

  • Conducted data analysis and workforce pipeline modeling to assess retention patterns and funding adequacy across provider networks.

Study of turnover intentions and food/housing insecurity among DSPs

  • Peer-reviewed publication

  • Policy implications for wage reform

Study of turnover intentions and food/housing insecurity among DSPs

  • 225 interns analyzed

  • Multi-year administrative data reconciliation

  • Policy-relevant employment outcomes

  • Survey integration across agencies

Workforce-Focused Grant & Funding Strategy Support
Data-driven analysis supporting competitive grant proposals and funding renewals, including outcome metric development aligned with policy priorities.

[View Full Project Portfolio →]

About

Canvas is an independent research initiative led by Dr. Jennifer Cohen, an economist specializing in healthcare and disability workforce systems with research affiliations at Rutgers University and the University of the Witwatersrand.

Her work focuses on workforce stability, funding design, and system-level inequities in healthcare and disability services.

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