In her role as CPR3's Equity Policy Analyst, Shirin Purkayastha, MA, is responsible for advising the team on how to integrate community engagement thoughtfully and effectively in project activities. Shirin has extensive experience conducting qualitative research in diverse contexts. In addition to her role at CPR3, she is currently supporting another one of Dr. Priya Shete’s projects, Equip-Ca (Evaluating Equity Focused COVID-19 Policies in California), a mixed methods study that is primarily evaluating California’s vaccine, testing, and overall equity approach.
Prior to joining UCSF, Shirin conducted qualitative research for the Vera Institute of Justice where she focused on understanding how the state of New York’s new pretrial reform laws were being implemented in local jurisdictions across the state of New York. Shirin holds a BA in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley and an MA in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago.