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School of Public and Environmental Affairs
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Last modified: Thursday, August 22, 2013

Indiana University professor appointed to national health policy panel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 22, 2013

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University health economist Kosali Simon will assist the nation's largest health philanthropy as it develops the next generation of health care leaders and researchers.

Simon was named to a three-year-term on the National Advisory Committee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholars in Health Policy Research Program. The committee is composed of 13 nationally recognized experts in social science and health policy.

During her term, Simon will advise the foundation in the annual selection of scholars and assist in monitoring the program's ongoing progress. The foundation is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted solely to the public's health. It was launched by Robert Wood Johnson, the founder of the Johnson & Johnson health products corporation. Its goals include improving both the health of everyone in America and their health care.

Simon is a professor at the Indiana University Bloomington School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She has conducted groundbreaking research on the impact of the Affordable Care Act and is an expert in applying economic analysis in the context of health insurance and health care policy.

"This is both an honor and an opportunity," Simon said. "I'm honored to serve alongside an exceptional group of scholars, all dedicated to improving health care access and outcomes. It also promises to be an immensely rewarding opportunity to guide the next wave of creative thinkers in health policy research."

Simon is familiar with the work of the Scholars in Health Policy Research Program, having worked with several alumni of the program during her tenure at Cornell University.

"Kosali has a growing, national reputation as a health economist and so this appointment is well-deserved," said SPEA Executive Associate Dean David Reingold. "SPEA is honored that Kosali was chosen, and our students will benefit from her experiences and the new connections she makes."

About Kosali Simon

Kosali Simon received her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Maryland College Park. At SPEA, she teaches classes in health economics and health policy at the graduate and undergraduate levels. In addition to serving on the faculty, she is a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Before joining SPEA in 2010, she was an associate professor at Cornell University.

About the School of Public and Environmental Affairs

SPEA was founded in 1972 and is a world leader in public and environmental affairs and is the largest school of public administration and public policy in the United States. In the 2012 "Best Graduate Schools" by U.S. News & World Report, SPEA ranks second and is the nation's highest-ranked professional graduate program in public affairs at a public institution. Four of its specialty programs are ranked in the top-five listings. SPEA's doctoral programs in public affairs and public policy are also ranked by the National Research Council as among the top two in the nation.

About the Scholars in Health Policy Research Program

The Scholars in Health Policy Research Program fosters the development of recent Ph.D. graduates in economics, political science and sociology. It enables up to nine highly qualified individuals to undertake two-year fellowships at one of three nationally prominent universities: Harvard University, the University of California-Berkeley (in collaboration with the University of California-San Francisco) and the University of Michigan.