Blake Owens is a health policy consultant committed to integrated care and addressing health-related social needs in California. He is currently a Senior Policy Consultant at Aurrera Health Group, where he supports the Integrated Care Team with crucial Medi-Cal policy and program delivery. He focuses on behavioral health policy analysis, homeless service delivery, and providing technical assistance for integrated care initiatives, including the implementation of CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal).

Blake’s expertise is built on a diverse background, including nearly five years in Management Consulting at PwC, where he advised academic medical centers and national health insurance companies on strategic transformation projects and served as a Health Research Analyst focused on the Social Determinants of Health with PwC’s Health Research Institute. His passion for advancing integrated approaches is rooted in significant direct service experience, having worked as a Housing Navigator and Interim Housing Manager at LA Family Housing, and managing community engagement programs for permanent supportive housing at Plymouth Housing in Seattle, WA.

Blake is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Political Economy.

How do you spend your free time?
“Trail running, spending time with friends and family, cooking, and reading.”

Why did you join the EMPH program?
“I joined UCLA’s EMPH program to deepen my health policy and management skills and to meet more Los Angeles-based professionals. UCLA’s EMPH program allows me to continue to work full-time in health policy consulting while learning in person over the weekend.”