It didn't come as a surprise to her professors when Andrea Sisko '04 appeared on the cover of a national health care magazine. Her passion for health care issues was clear even when she was a student majoring in International Business & Management.
Now as an economist in the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), she studies health care finance. She was co-author of the report "Health Spending Projections Through 2015," which was featured in Modern Healthcare and in the policy journal Health Affairs.
When Andrea was profiled in Campus News Extra in the spring of 2004, she was a senior working as the first intern in the Governor's Office on Health Care Reform.
She spent two days a week in Harrisburg helping staff members gather data on Pennsylvanians' access to long-term care.
Following graduation (summa cum laude with department honors), she originally planned to pursue
a master's degree program in health administration at the University of Pittsburgh. But a tip from Dickinson alumna Katie Levit '71,
former director of the National Health Statistics Group, led Andrea to the job at CMS.
Andrea credits her Dickinson experience with preparing her for the position with CMS. "I honed the classic liberal arts skills: the ability to think, analyze, and communicate effectively," she said. She noted that her internship in Harrisburg gave her the opportunity to apply those skills in a professional setting.
She acknowledged the "excellent guidance" she received from faculty members, particularly IB&M professor David Sarcone, as well as the benefit of networking with Dickinson alumni. "I continue to be indebted to Katie Levit," she said, "who not only introduced me to CMS but continues to help me develop professionally."
In addition to her full-time position at CMS, Andrea is pursuing an MA in Economic Policy Analysis part-time at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
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