Education
PhD, Public Health-Health Policy, Oregon State University
MA, Economics, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
MD, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
MHA, Asia E University, Malaysia
Dr. Shyama Mahakalanda is a program evaluation specialist with experience focused in academia and healthcare. He has provided leadership in conducting training and implementing policy to improve healthcare services and outcomes.
As a research associate with Health Affairs Institute, Shyama monitors and evaluates quality improvement initiatives from data collection and analysis, develops and designs data collection tools, manages and maintains databases. The overarching goal of his work is to develop innovative program evaluation systems to support the decision-making process for programs and policies within the state of West Virginia.
Shyama comes to this position with a background immersed in data analysis and policy development, in not only the U.S. but also in international settings, including Sri Lanka, and Fiji, Tuvalu, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall islands and Republic of Palau. He has experience evaluating Medicaid expansion as well as other government-run programs, allowing him to build proficiency in analyzing data and managing large, complex datasets.