Alyssa has been with NORC since 2013 and is based in the Sacramento office where her work focuses on formative research to develop communication strategies and evaluation of health communication campaigns, consumer science and equitable access to health care services and healthy food. As a Principal Investigator and Project Director, she carries the research process from conceptual study design through data collection, analysis, interpretation and meaningful reporting using data visualization. 

She is a mixed methods researcher with experience designing and conducting qualitative research including cognitive testing, in-depth interviews and focus groups, and using rigorous thematic analysis to uncover important insights among audiences. She also has experience with quantitative methods to understand populations and broad scale behavior change including program evaluation, large surveillance surveys through multiple modes, developing and conducting trainings for field survey administration. She has expertise with instrument design and measures development, working closely with survey methodologists to ensure the capture of accurate and insightful findings for clients and use of validation methods. 

Alyssa has deep experience with formative campaign research including audience segmentation, message development and concept testing, focus group moderation, engaging with key informants, and observation methodologies. She also has expertise in developing conceptual frameworks, sampling harder-to-reach populations, using applied GIS mapping for population research and program implementation, and the collection of race and ethnicity data.

Alyssa is part of NORC’s staff focused on improving health across California’s diverse populations and is a leader in the Center for Health Communication Science. She has well-established and grassroots partnerships to support small-to-large scale effort using rigorous, objective research to improve programs and communication efforts that lead to measurable change.

Her work has included projects for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office on Women’s Health, U.S. Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation Agency for Children and Families, CDC Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, Overweight and Obesity, California Department of Public Health Office of Health Equity, California Department of Health Care Access and Information, California Department of Aging, California Department of Health Care Services, California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA), Covered California and Genetic Alliance.

Previously, Ghirardelli served as a Research Scientist and Principal Investigator with the Public Health Institute in the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Branch (NEOPB)where she led state-wide research and evaluation efforts for the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) program, developing tools and methods including training most of California’s local health departments to use GIS to map their food environment and working with community-based organizations and community based participatory Research (CBPR) to collect retail data in the field. She also led media and communication research for the SNAP-Ed social marketing campaign. Prior to work in California, she supported efforts in North Carolina with Eat Smart, Move More and research through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Public Health as well as Health Behavior and Health Education, Epidemiology, and Dental Ecology.