The Department often focuses its research on the nuances of Medicaid programs and subsequent policies regarding access, affordability, delivery of care and overall health outcomes have affected or been impacted by low-income populations and their providers. Assistant Professors Carrie Fry, PhD, and Kevin Griffith, PhD have used insurance claims and hospital discharge data to measure access to opioid use disorder, mental health and, more recently, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to care, excess mortality and other areas. Dr. Fry has also been recognized for leveraging her research into developing potential new statistical models to more accurately measure.
The Department has expanded its research focus around Medicaid through the addition of new faculty and grants in recent to enhance its capability to examine specific areas within Medicaid, including the opioid epidemic, maternal health, infectious disease surveillance and developmental disabilities.