Biography
Brandy Lipton, PhD is an applied microeconomist with expertise in health economics and public policy. Her research explores the connections between health care policies and both health and economic outcomes, such as employment and academic achievement. The majority of her work examines state-level Medicaid policies and how they affect population health and well-being. One strand of her research has studied the effects of providing optional dental and vision benefits to adult Medicaid enrollees. This is a continuing area of study with ongoing work examining the impacts of these policies among children with Medicaid-enrolled parents and also among older adults eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Dr. Lipton’s research has been published in high-impact economics, policy, and medical journals including Journal of Health Economics, Journal of Human Resources, Health Affairs, JAMA Health Forum, and Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. She has been funded as a Principal Investigator by the National Institutes of Health (NIDCR and NEI) and the William T. Grant Foundation.
Research Interests
Lipton analyzes state health policy and its impact on access especially among immigrant communities. Current research on healthcare reform focuses on Medicaid, dental and vision care and dual eligibility.
Current Projects/Studies
Currently, Dr. Lipton is accepting students for research mentorship. If you are interested in working with Dr. Lipton, please send an email to blipton@uci.edu with your CV/resume and a brief description of your goals and interests.
- National Eye Institute (NEI), “Impact of Routine Eye Care Coverage on Access to Eye Care and Fall-related Outcomes among Low-income Medicare Enrollees” (R01), Grant period: June 2022 – May 2026. Total: $2.00 million. Role: Principal Investigator.
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), “Effect of Hearing Aid Insurance Coverage Requirements for Adults on Utilization” (R01), Grant period: April 2022 – March 2026. Total subcontracted amount: $275,154. Role: Co-Investigator and Site PI (PI: Pesko).
Education
Lipton holds a doctorate and masters in economics from Northwestern University.
Honors and Awards
- 2022, Editor’s Pick for Top 10 Articles in 2021, Health Affairs
- 2020, AAMC CHARGE 2020 Health Equity Call for Research Award Recipient
- 2018, 2019, Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies Research Fellowship, San Diego State University
