Current PhD Students

Tamara Beetham is a PhD candidate in health policy and management with a health economics concentration. Her research primarily focuses on access to evidence-based behavioral healthcare for those who are medically underserved and the effects of policy on treatment provision. She has received an R36 dissertation award from NIDA and an early investigator pilot project award from RAND's Opioid Policy Tools and Information Center for Research Excellence. Her research has been published in journals such as JAMA, Health Affairs, Annals of Internal Medicine, and the Harvard Public Health Review, and featured in media outlets such as National Public Radio, Associated Press, and Reuters. Her publication on buprenorphine treatment access for opioid use disorder was selected as one of ten "Best of Annals" in 2019 by the Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Internal Medicine. She holds an MPH from Harvard School of Public Health and a BA from the University of Colorado.

Deepon is a PhD student in the Health Policy and Management Department (Economics Track). His interests include studying public insurance programs and addressing social determinants of health. He holds an MA in Public Policy and BA in Economics both from The University of Chicago.

Kim Gannon joined the Department of Health Policy and Management and is pursuing a disciplinary concentration in Economics. Her current work involves mental health and substance use disorder policy, specifically in harm reduction, the treatment industry, and long-term recovery. She received her BS in Economics, Mathematics, and Statistics from Michigan State University.

Zhuoer is a Ph.D. Candidate in Health Policy and Management (Economics Concentration) at Yale School of Public Health. His research aims to understand the life course determinants of cognitive aging and how public policy may intervene to address the racial and geographic disparities in cognition; and to assess the consequences of cognitive aging on health decision-making, behaviors and well-being. He is also interested in studying the health impacts of long-term care and social security programs for older adults, especially those with cognitive impairment or dementia (e.g., ADRD). His research makes use of both nationally representative survey data and administrative data from developing (e.g., China) and developed countries (e.g., US, England, Europe) to understand the leading policy issues in population aging around the world.

Ruijie Liu is a Ph.D. student in health policy and management with a health economics concentration. Her research primarily focuses on improving health service utilization, health outcomes, and equity, particularly in the field of mental health and substance use disorder.

Justin Markowski is a doctoral student in the department of Health Policy and Management. His research focuses on evaluating and improving the healthcare safety net, oriented toward identifying actionable, responsive policy solutions to the current challenges faced by care delivery organizations and the communities they serve.

Yuting Qian is a PhD student in the Department of Health Policy and Management, with a concentration in Economics. Her research interests include public policies and the health of the aging population, particularly people with cognitive impairment. She holds an MS in Health Policy and Economics from Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University.