FEATURE STORIES

Celebrating Rachel M. Werner's LDI Legacy

After seven transformative years, Rachel M. Werner concludes her role as LDI Executive Director. Under her leadership, LDI expanded its national influence and advanced research that shaped key health policy debates. 

Heat and Cold Deaths Rising for Less Educated

Research by Sameed Khatana revealed increasing temperature-related deaths among people with low levels of educational attainment compared to the more educated. 

Savings from Cost Plus Drugs vs. Employer Insurance

Trump Homelessness Order and Forced Confinement

Dominic Sisti warned that the executive order expanding involuntary commitment could clash with states’ powers and worsen outcomes for people experiencing homelessness. 

Transforming NIH-Funded Pediatric Research

Christopher Forrest served on a National Academies committee which developed recommendations for how the NIH could better support pediatric research. 

 NEW VIDEO SERIES

Meet LDI's Experts

Our new video series features LDI experts shaping health care’s future. In two-minute conversations with Paula Chatterjee, you’ll hear David Mandell, Christina Roberto, Atul Gupta, and Karen Lasater discuss their research and policy impact. 

ONLINE COURSE  –  FALL 2026 

Mastering the Art of Opinion Writing

LDI’s four-session virtual op-ed course returns in October, helping researchers craft publication-ready opinion pieces with personalized feedback from instructors Torie Bosch of STAT, editor Matthew Zencey, and LDI’s Karl Stark. Space is limited, register soon! 

IN THE MEDIA

“A New Option for Long-Term Care Costs.” Norma Coe. New York Times

“Why Insurers Still See Value-Based Care as the Answer to High Costs.” Mark Pauly. Modern Healthcare

“Health Care’s AI Dividend is Real. The Fight Now is Over Who Reaps the Gains.” Kevin Mahoney. Fortune

“How Do Clinical Trials Work, and Who Can Participate?” Holly Fernandez Lynch. WNYC

“Study Linking Vaccines to Autism Retracted.” David Mandell. MedPage Today

PUBLICATIONS

“Nursing Home Closures and Access to Long-Term Care.” Andrew R. Olenski, Rachel M. Werner. JAMA

“Rx Kids: Designing Cash Transfers as Health Policy.” Aaron Richterman, Harsha Thirumurthy. Lancet Public Health

“Study of the Utility and Impact of a Plasma P-tau181 Alzheimer’s Biomarker (SUITABLE).” Kyra O'Brien, Cameron Coykendall, Kristin Harkins, Xingmei Wang, Abigail Perelman, Megan Zhang, Jason Karlawish. Alzheimer’s & Dementia

“Partisan and Geographic Variation in Emotional Responses to COVID-19 Vaccination on Social Media.” Kokil Jaidka, Yuanyuan Wu, Anku Rani, Ozan Kuru, Reyhan Jamalova, Garrick Sherman, Sharath Chandra Guntuku. JAMA Network Open

“Mental Health Treatment Experiences Before, During, and After Incarceration: Perspectives of Formerly Incarcerated Black Men.” Helena A. Addison, Kathryn Thomas, Therese S. Richmond, Toorjo Ghose, Sara F. Jacoby. Psychological Services 

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