About

Beccah Rothschild, MPA, Principal of Health Engagement Strategies, first became interested in the connection between patient engagement and health outcomes in 1996 – when she started working at Second Start Adult Literacy program in Oakland, California. It was there that she met student after student, each one smart, driven, and hard-working, but who simply hadn’t had the opportunity to learn to read. And because of that, many of them faced challenges in understanding basic health information, such as knowing just how much cough medicine to give their child, exactly what to eat and what not to eat to get their diabetes under control, or how and when to use their asthma inhaler most effectively. This experience is what drove Beccah’s passion into the world of health literacy, patient engagement, and culture change.

Beccah has now spent more than two decades working at the local, state, national, and international levels on system change in these areas, focusing on interventions, research and evaluation, and policy change. She has led projects in partnership with public-sector agencies, non-profit groups, private corporations, foundations, health systems, and health plans, working across a multitude of health, disease, medication, and insurance topics.

Beccah has a master’s degree in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management, with a BA in Spanish and Global Cultures. When not trying to change the world of healthcare, you can find Beccah swimming between and around islands all over the globe, on her yoga mat, out on a hiking trail, or curled up with a good book. Read more about Beccah’s background.