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Cuellar brings deep expertise in health policy, health care systems, and child well-being research to the study, which will examine how communities, families, and public systems can better support children’s outcomes.
Alison Evans Cuellar, associate dean for research at the George Mason University College of Public Health, has been selected to serve on a new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine study focused on how early relationships and environments impact children’s long-term health and well-being.
The consensus study, Early Relational Health Determinants of Future Health and Wellbeing, will examine evidence from family engagement and community-based programs to identify strategies that support healthy early childhood development and family well-being, with attention to how social and economic conditions influence outcomes. The committee will also explore how policies and programs can better connect and sustain early childhood supports across health care, education, and community services.
“By examining how early relationships and environments intersect with health, education, and social systems, this study can help identify effective, evidence-based approaches to improve outcomes for children and families across diverse communities,” said Cuellar.
Cuellar, a professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy, brings deep expertise in health policy, health care systems, and child well-being research to the study. She previously served on the National Academies committee that produced the 2024 report Launching Lifelong Health by Improving Health Care for Children, Youth, and Families, which assessed reforms needed to strengthen pediatric health care systems nationwide.
She currently serves as chair of the federal Community Preventive Services Task Force, staffed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.