Laurel Koester is a Program Officer for the Helmsley Charitable Trust's Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) Program. She helps to oversee a healthcare models portfolio in which she manages existing grants and identifies innovative models of healthcare delivery with a focus on improving clinical care and outcomes for people with T1D.

Prior to joining Helmsley, Laurel served as a health services researcher at the American Institutes for Research. In this position, she managed projects that focused on healthcare quality and accessibility such as the development of strategies to increase preventive care resources through state Medicaid agencies and improving resources to help clinicians and consumers in evidence-based healthcare decision-making. Prior to AIR, Laurel worked in healthcare public relations where she focused on awareness and communication strategies for HIV therapies and adolescent vaccinations.

Laurel holds an M.P.H. degree in international community health from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University.  She earned a certification as a Peer Support Volunteer to provide practical and emotional support to clients living with life-threatening illnesses from The Shanti Project in San Francisco, CA.