Jessica Skopac
Policy Analyst

Jessica Skopac, a policy analyst at The Hilltop Institute, is responsible for policy analysis and analytical support on a range of health care-related issues. Her current focus is legislative analysis of Affordable Care Act regulatory and implementation issues and program evaluation for the Maryland Asthma Control Program.

Before joining Hilltop, Ms. Skopac was a research associate at the University of Maryland School of Law, where she collected materials for faculty research and wrote legal memoranda and literature reviews. Ms. Skopac has also served as a legislative advocate for the American Academy of Pediatrics, Maryland Chapter and the Center for Tobacco Regulation, Litigation and Advocacy. As such, she monitored proposed public health legislation pending in the Maryland General Assembly, wrote testimony in support of legislation to promote public health initiatives, testified at bill hearings, and presented information to legislators on public health issues. Prior to that, Ms. Skopac was a senior research associate with the Institute for Community Health, where she headed an evaluation team for community-based health and educational activities, led focus groups and conducted interviews of stakeholders, and conducted quality analyses to assess the efficacy of afterschool programs in Howard County, Maryland. Ms. Skopac also gained experience as a research associate at the Maryland Infectious Disease and Environmental Health Agency (IDEHA) (formerly the Maryland AIDS Administration).

Ms. Skopac recently spent two years in Croatia, where she was an instructor of “business English,” focusing on legal and medical terminology. She also provided English translation and editing of business documents. While abroad, Ms. Skopac conducted research for her doctoral dissertation, “European Union Conditionality as Impetus for Improved Health Systems in Croatia.” She is proficient in Croatian/Serbian/Bosnian and French.

Ms. Skopac earned a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law with a certificate in health law. Additionally, she holds an M.A. in applied and professional ethics/bioethics and a B.A. from UMBC. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in public policy/health policy from UMBC.