I am an health economist and associate professor in the Department of Health Policy & Management at Indiana University Indianapolis, Fairbanks School of Public Health. I also have affiliate appointments with the Regenstrief Institute, the IU Diabetes Research Center, the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, and the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Financial Security. Previously, I was an assistant professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs.
My research spans health economics and health policy and is motivated by the central question: how can public programs and policies produce measurable improvements in population health? I use economic theory, causal inference methods, and large datasets to quantify policy impacts. My research centers on three intersecting themes: (1) health insurance expansion and coverage dynamics, (2) policy levers to improve health behaviors and population health, and (3) maternal, child, and family health policy. Across these themes, I emphasize policy translation and partnership-based economic evaluation with public stakeholders to produce rigorous evidence that is usable by policymakers. My work has been published in journals such as Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, JAMA Oncology, JAMA Internal Medicine, and Health Affairs, and has received external grant funding from institutions such as the American Lung Association, the National Science Foundation, the National Bureau of Economic Research.
I completed my PhD in Business Economics and Public Policy at Indiana University in Bloomington. Prior to my graduate studies, I worked as an economist at IHS Global Insight and as an analyst at the US International Trade Commission. I received my M.A. in economics and B.A. in economics and journalism from Boston University, where I was a recipient of the Trustee Scholarship for academic excellence.
Selected Publications:
The Impact of Health Insurance on Preventive Care and Health Behaviors: Evidence from the First Two Years of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansions (Journal of Policy Analysis and Management)
(Health Economics)
Association Between Medicaid Expansion and Rates of Opioid-Related Hospital Use (JAMA Internal Medicine)