Chief Economist
Leigh Wedenoja, chief economist at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, specializes in education, labor, and health policy research. Her work focuses on assessing the causal impact of public policy using both quantitative and qualitative methods. She has worked with New York State agencies and nonprofit organizations on topics including the care workforce, employment for people with disabilities, civil service exams, K-12 and postsecondary education policy, and the overdose epidemic. Dr. Wedenoja is also a lecturer at the University at Albany in the graduate Department of Education Policy & Leadership and her work has appeared in academic publications and the popular press. Prior to joining the Rockefeller Institute, Dr. Wedenoja served as a postdoctoral research associate at Brown University and as administrator of the US Census Bureau’s Federal Statistical Research Data Center at Cornell University. She holds an MA and PhD in economics from Cornell University and a BA from the University of Michigan.
The Overdose Epidemic: A Persistent Public Health Crisis
November 14, 2023
The persistent overdose epidemic, exacerbated by synthetic drugs like fentanyl, remains a severe public health crisis, with US fatalities surpassing 100,000 annually. Recent data suggests a slowing rate of increase since 2021, potentially linked to the availability of opioid overdose reversal medications such as naloxone and community-led efforts, particularly in training and distribution initiatives. Continue Reading...
November 2, 2023
Individuals with disabilities face difficult employment decisions as work status can impact access to benefits. This brief examines the "benefits cliff" for individuals with disabilities in New York State. Continue Reading...
Five Things to Know about Fentanyl on National Fentanyl Awareness Day 2023
May 9, 2023
Fentanyl is involved in nearly 70 percent of all overdose deaths and fentanyl overdose is one of the leading causes of death for Americans under 50. Continue Reading...
Beyond Treatment: Understanding the Impact of Supporting Recovery at Second Chance Opportunities
March 16, 2023
This report details the impacts of Second Chance Opportunities, Inc. (SCO), a New York Capital Region-based substance-use disorder (SUD) recovery service provider. Continue Reading...
Five Things to Know about the Care Workforce
January 25, 2023
The care workforce accounts for 17% of the total US workforce. Who are these workers and what should policymakers understand about them? Continue Reading...
November 17, 2022
Senior Policy Analyst Leigh Wedenoja proposes a new way of defining and understanding the care workforce and details the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the occupations that make up the care economy. Continue Reading...
Veterans at Work in the State of New York
November 11, 2022
A look at where New York's more than 675,000 veterans live and work. Continue Reading...
Ep. 57. A Renewed Push for Marriage Equality—Part One
October 14, 2022
In part one of this series on marriage equality, Rockefeller Institute Fellow Heather Trela, Senior Policy Analyst Leigh Wedenoja, and Pride Center of the Capital Region Executive Director Nate Gray provide an overview of the judicial and legislative history of marriage equality, the Respect for Marriage Act making its way through Congress, and how the recent uncertainty surrounding marriage equality affecting members of the LGBTQ+ community. Continue Reading...
Home or Hospital: What Place of Death Can Tell Us about COVID-19 and Public Health
June 2, 2022
As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, this analysis examines data from 2020 to better understand the association between place of death and characteristics of people who died of COVID-19. Continue Reading...
Ep. 48. New York State Budget Roundup
April 13, 2022
The Rockefeller Institute highlights what you need to know about New York State's $220 billion budget for the 2023 fiscal year. Continue Reading...
A Local Pandemic: COVID-19 Across Three Hospitals
April 7, 2022
In order to understand the importance of geography in COVID-19 hospitalizations in New York, this brief examines more than a year's worth of admittance data for three State University of New York (SUNY) hospitals. Continue Reading...
Drug Overdose Mortality During the Pandemic
March 1, 2022
Five key takeaways about the overdose epidemic and the intersection with COVID-19 that are revealed by the CDC’s overdose mortality data. Continue Reading...
Causes of Mortality in New York State
February 28, 2022
To shed light on the role mortality data plays in understanding health and health disparities, this analysis explores mortality rates and totals for all of the underlying conditions that the CDC listed as one of the “15 leading causes of death” in the past 20 years, excluding COVID-19. Continue Reading...
Ep. 40. The Expanded Child Tax Credit
July 20, 2021
Leigh Wedenoja discusses changes to the child tax credit, how those changes make the credit operate more like the Earned Income Tax Credit, and why the CTC is predicted to improve outcomes for children and families. Continue Reading...
The Expanded Child Tax Credit Looks Like the Earned Income Tax Credit—That’s Great News
July 7, 2021
This analysis explains how similarities between the expanded Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit predict improvements in child and parent health and a dramatic reduction in child poverty. Continue Reading...
The Invisible Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Unprecedented 27 Percent Spike in Overdose Deaths
April 22, 2021
This analysis examines preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing an unprecedented 27 percent increase in drug overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending in August 2020. Continue Reading...
What Can We Learn From the Increase in Overdose Mortality in 2019?
April 16, 2021
Overdose deaths rose to a record high in 2019. What can the data tell us about the nation's drug epidemic? Continue Reading...
March 11, 2021
A data brief examining the socioeconomic and occupational factors underlying disparate health outcomes for Black and Hispanic New Yorkers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue Reading...
Overdose Mortality Increased in 2019: What We Know Now and What We Will Learn In January
January 8, 2021
This analysis presents a framework for understanding insights from the preliminary and official drug overdose mortality data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Continue Reading...
The Role of Cocaine Mortality in a Resurgent Overdose Epidemic
December 14, 2020
This analysis examines the recent increase in overdose deaths from cocaine, including who is affected and where, and challenges associated with treatment. Continue Reading...
Without Testing, How Do We Measure Learning Loss From School Shutdowns?
September 14, 2020
With federally mandated school accountability testing canceled in spring 2020 and uncertain in spring 2021, alternative assessments may be needed to identify students most in need of help. Continue Reading...
September 8, 2020
Brian Backstrom, director of education policy studies at the Rockefeller Institute, and Leigh Wedenoja, senior policy analyst at the Rockefeller Institute, highlight various instructional models and discuss how parents and caregivers can prepare for a school year of uncertainty. Continue Reading...
The Second Wave of the Methamphetamine Epidemic
July 28, 2020
This blog examines the increase in methamphetamine use that may be signaling a the reoccurrence of the meth epidemic. Continue Reading...
Unfinished Business: Gun Violence on the Policy Agenda
July 21, 2020
This policy brief analyzes and categorizes more than 160 firearm-related bills introduced in the New York State Legislature in 2018 and 2019. Continue Reading...
June 29, 2020
Overlapping federal, state, and municipal restrictions on when, where, and which types of fireworks can be sold, who can purchase them, and when they can be set off can be confusing. Here's a quick guide. Continue Reading...
The Facts Underlying America’s First Decline in Overdose Mortality in 20 Years
June 4, 2020
This analysis examines the latest official data on overdose deaths from the CDC to determine who is most affected by the overdose crisis, where the crisis is located, which drugs contribute to the crisis, and how public policy and research have played a role in beginning to turn a corner. Continue Reading...
Ep. 20. COVID-19: Learning from Home
May 11, 2020
Leigh Wedenoja outlines existing and future challenges imposed by COVID-19 on students and the education system. Continue Reading...
What To Expect When You Weren’t Expecting Online Classes
April 29, 2020
To help with the current situation of providing online education, this blog provides some of the research that shows ways to structure and take an online class. Continue Reading...
March 27, 2020
We compiled strategies and resources in one document that parents and guardians can use to prevent learning loss in children whose schools have closed to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Continue Reading...
Ep. 16. Assignments for Teachers
January 6, 2020
Leigh Wedenoja shares research presented at the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) 2019 Fall Research Conference on the effects of teacher looping on student outcomes. Continue Reading...
Teacher Looping Improves Student Outcomes
November 21, 2019
Research on students from Tennessee shows repeat teachers improve student behavior and academic performance in math and reading in grades three through 11. This type of classroom structure, known as teacher looping, is touted as a low-cost way to improve student achievement. Continue Reading...
To Improve Student Outcomes, Try Looping Teachers
August 7, 2019
A strong student-teacher relationship is associated with higher academic achievement, fewer disciplinary problems, and decreased risky behavior. Continue Reading...
