Albert Blankley manages the organization’s day-to-day activities, including directly supervising research and analytics activities and IT operations. A strategic advisor to the CEO and chief medical officer to ensure alignment with national, state and local initiatives to improve health outcomes, he works with internal teams to develop and implement policies and programs in support of the organization’s mission and vision. He joined Common Ground in 2013.
Blankley also oversees reviews for the state Certificate of Need (CON) process and for the region’s Community Technology Assessment Advisory Board (CTAAB). The board examines new health care technology, hospital expansions and other major expenditures to ensure that additional investments provide community benefits and do not, for example, unnecessarily duplicate existing resources.
Prior to becoming COO, Blankley served as director of research and analytics, guiding researchers, analysts and health planners serving the research and planning needs of numerous internal and external stakeholders. He transformed Common Ground’s data and analytics approach, moving from standard quantitative measures to marrying health care and clinical data with community information and community voices. This approach pushed the organization to better understand the “why” behind the “what.”
Blankley brought to Common Ground expertise in data mining, experience in the insurance industry and training in the biological sciences and public policy. He previously served as an analyst and administrative policy developer for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield of Rochester, where he developed complex claims data analyses and oversaw the development of numerous policies. Earlier, Blankley provided public health research for Mithoefer Center for Rural Surgery in Cooperstown, N.Y., where he led analyses of several rurally focused health care initiatives.
In addition to his Common Ground responsibilities, Blankley is an elected official in the Monroe County Legislature, representing the 24th Legislative District. He also teaches public policy at RIT and continues to serve as the co-chair of the Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative’s (RMAPI) Data & Evaluation Workgroup. He is a former member of the board of directors for Coordinated Care Systems Inc (CCSI) and Monroe Community Hospital.
Albert Blankley earned a master’s degree in Science Technology and Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree in Biology, both from RIT. He lives in the city of Rochester with his wife, Kiersten, and their children, Owen and Katherine.
