Christine Schmidt
Senior Director of Policy,
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

As the head of the Society’s policy team, Christy works on a variety of issues including cancer prevention, private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and quality of life for cancer patients.

Prior to joining the Society, Christy had a long career heading policy and research offices in both the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture. At HHS, Christy served in the office of the Assistant Secretary of Management and Budget heading the staff that handled the Health Care Finance Administration and the Social Security Administration. She then became Deputy to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. As Deputy, she oversaw critical decisions and operations in the department on health financing, public health, research, and evaluation and data systems associated with health policy. In addition, Christy worked on strategy and options for significant legislative issues and department initiatives including Medicare and Medicaid reforms and programs to increase access for the uninsured including the design and implementation of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

In the office of Management and Budget at HHS, Christy provided advice on budget and management issues including regulatory and legislative matters for the Social Security Administration and Health Care Financing Administration.

Prior to her days at HHS, Christy spent more than a decade at the Department of Agriculture in a variety of positions in the Office of Analysis and Evaluation for the Food and Nutrition Service, including Deputy Director. In this role, she oversaw policy analysis, development and research, providing budgetary and impact analysis and evaluation for 13 human services programs including the Food Stamp Program, the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) and School Nutrition Programs.

Christy’s work in the private sector has included consulting, research and management jobs as Mathematica Policy Research, the Urban Institute, and NORC at the University of Chicago.

Christy is a graduate of Smith College and has a Masters of Public Affairs degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs at Princeton University.