In the News: Colleen Heflin

"Adoption Of Standard Medical Deduction Increased SNAP Enrollment And Benefits In 21 Participating States," co-authored by Professors Jun Li and Colleen Heflin, and Ph.D. student Dongmei Zuo, was published in Health Affairs.

"Local Control, Discretion, and Administrative Burden: SNAP Interview Waivers and Caseloads During the COVID-19 Pandemic," co-authored by Maxwell faculty members Colleen Heflin and Leonard Lopoo, and doctoral student William Clay Fannin, was published in The American Review of Public Administration.

Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs is ranked #1 overall in a survey of its peers and is highly ranked in ten subspecialties, according to the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Public Affairs School rankings. The school has received the top honor in 12 of the 13 years in which the peer surveys have been conducted; this year, the honor is shared with Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

"The Social and Community Consequences of the Opioid Epidemic," co-authored by Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, was published in The ANNALS of the Academy of Political and Social Science.

Children in low-income families who participate in food and income support programs (such as SNAP and TANF) have lower literacy skills in kindergarten than those who do not participate in these programs. 

"Food Insecurity and the Opioid Crisis," co-authored by Colleen Heflin, professor and chair of public administration and international affairs, and postdoctoral research scholar Xiaohan Sun, was published in the ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.

This study finds that children in households that participate in more than one social assistance program (such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs, and Free or Reduced-Price Lunch) have lower literacy skills when they enter kindergarten than children whose households participate in fewer or no social programs. 

“Unfortunately,” says Colleen Heflin, professor and chair of public administration and international affairs, “my own work suggests that cognitive decline can act as a barrier to SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] participation among older adults eligible for the program, due to the difficult administrative processes associated with demonstrating program eligibility.”

“The lack of access to food can make older Americans more socially isolated,” says Colleen Heflin, professor and chair of public administration and international affairs.

"Recent data from the Department of Defense indicates that one in four service members were food insecure at the end of 2020," says Colleen Heflin, professor and chair of public administration and international affairs.

"Inequality in Literacy Skills at Kindergarten Entry at the Intersections of Social Programs and Race," co-authored by public administration and international affairs professors Michah Rothbart and Colleen Heflin, was published in Children and Youth Services Review.

"Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation and Medication Adherence Among Medicaid-Insured Older Adults Living with Hypertension," co-authored by Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

This brief summarizes the key findings of a memorandum and discusses what can be done to improve food security among active-duty military members and their families.

"Screening for food insecurity can at least provide the clinician some sense of the risks their patients might be facing and their potential negative health consequences," says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

This brief summarizes the policy changes made in Virginia and describes how those changes improved child care subsidy stability and participation in that state.