FEATURE STORIES

How One Study Saved Preventive Care

A study by Jalpa Doshi showed how even small copays reduced the use of PrEP, which became integral to a Supreme Court case on preventive care.

Heart Failure Patients and Housing Cost Burden

Joniqua Ceasar, Lauren Eberly, Ashwin Nathan, Eric T. Roberts, Vincent Reina, Peter Groeneveld, and Sameed Khatana found an association between housing cost burden and risk of hospital or ED visits for heart issues among Medicaid beneficiaries.

Assessing Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising

Abby Alpert evaluated evidence to address common concerns about direct-to-consumer drug ads, and found that a ban on ads may not be a well-targeted solution.

Playing Games May Save Lives

Research by LDI Fellows in the emerging field of gamification demonstrated how it can encourage healthier behaviors like increased physical activity.

2025 Impact

 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research Program

Applications are open for the 2026 Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research (SUMR) Program, a 12-week health services research internship hosted by Penn LDI and the Wharton School. Applications are due February 2.

 UPCOMING EVENTS

Keeping the Momentum: Moving Forward in the Opioid Epidemic

Friday, February 13, 2026
12:00–1:00 p.m. ET

A Conversation with Jonathan Caulkins, PhD, Yngvild Olsen, MD, MPH, and Rachel Winograd, PhD. Moderated by Zachary Meisel, MD, MPH.

Virtual seminar open to the public.

Is Medicare Advantage Working?

Friday, March 13, 2026
12:00–1:00 p.m. ET

A Conversation with Cheryl Damberg, PhD, and Sachin Jain, MD, MBA. Moderated by Rachel M. Werner, MD, PhD.

Virtual seminar open to the public.

 EVENT VIDEO RECAPS

Funding "Rural Health Care Transformation" Without Shoring Up Failing Hospitals

Over 1,000 registrants heard national experts discuss the challenges facing rural health care access.

Unpacking the Federal Drug Price Reduction Struggle

More than 600 registrants tuned in to our virtual seminar to hear national experts discuss what to expect from the current administration's drug pricing policy.

IN THE MEDIA

“States Race To Launch Rural Health Transformation Plans.” Paula Chatterjee. KFF Health News

“California Wildfire Smoke Exposure During Pregnancy Linked to Autism Risk in Children.” David Mandell. NBC News

“More Seniors are Becoming Homeless. Shelters are Trying To Adapt.” Dennis Culhane. NPR

“Donald Trump’s ‘Great Healthcare Plan’ Leaves Unanswered Questions.” Mark Pauly. Newsweek

“Exclusive: US FDA Delays Two Drug Reviews in New Voucher Program After Safety, Efficacy Concerns.” Holly Fernandez Lynch. Reuters

PUBLICATIONS

“Children's Enrollment in Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Coverage During the Medicaid Unwinding.” Erica L. Eliason, Daniel B. Nelson, Aditi Vasan. Health Services Research

“Aligning AI Payment Policy With Desired Outcomes Rather Than Inputs May Require Customized Pathways.” Sita K. Kottilil, Amol S. Navathe. Health Affairs

“Geographical and Racial and/or Ethnic Disparities in Pediatric ARDS Mortality in the USA, 2016–2022: A Triennial National Database Retrospective Cohort Analysis.” Garrett Keim, Paula Magee, Cody Gathers, Anireddy R. Reddy, Charlotte Z. Woods-Hill, Nadir Yehya. Lancet Regional Health Americas

“Characterising Concerns and Misinformation Shaping Global HIV Vaccine Confidence and Demand: A Structured Literature Search and Content Analysis.” Simamkele Bokolo, Megan Rabin, Sarah Penuela-Wermers, Candice Maylene Chetty-Makka, Teniola I. Egbe, Harsha Thirumurthy, Brendan Maughan-Brown, Alison Buttenheim. BMJ Global Health

“Poor Patient Care Outcomes and Nurse Job Outcomes Associated With Unfavorable Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department Nurse Work Environments: Implications for Critical Care Medicine.” Kathryn Jane Muir, Daniela Golinelli, Kathryn Connell, Karen B. Lasater, Matthew D. McHugh. Value in Health

Penn’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics is a national leader in advancing health policy through transformative research.