Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics

Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
Name	Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
Established	1967
Type	Research institute
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Parent	University of Pennsylvania
Director	N/A

Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics is a multidisciplinary research center based at the University of Pennsylvania that focuses on health services research, health policy analysis, and health care innovation. Founded with philanthropic support, the institute has collaborated with academic units such as the Perelman School of Medicine, Wharton School, and School of Nursing, and with external organizations including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Institutes of Health, and Commonwealth Fund. Its activities span empirical research, policy advising, and training programs that intersect with stakeholders such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, World Health Organization, and state health agencies.

History

The institute was created in 1967 following endowment initiatives influenced by philanthropists and policymakers active during the Lyndon B. Johnson era and the Great Society legislative agenda. Early collaborations involved scholars from the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard University, linking work on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security reforms with research produced for Congressional committees and think tanks like the Brookings Institution and Kaiser Family Foundation. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the institute expanded partnerships with agencies including the Office of Technology Assessment, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and engaged in evaluations relevant to the Balanced Budget Act, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act deliberations, and state-level Medicaid waivers. In subsequent decades, the institute deepened ties with clinical centers such as Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Veterans Health Administration, and Geisinger Health System while contributing to debates involving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, and National Academy of Medicine.

Mission and Leadership

The institute's mission emphasizes rigorous, policy-relevant research and translating evidence into practice for stakeholders such as Congress, the White House, and state legislatures. Leadership has included directors drawn from the Perelman School of Medicine, Wharton School, and School of Nursing, many of whom have held appointments with organizations like the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and RAND Corporation. Governing bodies and advisory boards have featured figures from institutions such as Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Yale School of Public Health, Stanford School of Medicine, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, with regular consultation from foundations including the Rockefeller Foundation, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, and Commonwealth Fund.

Research and Programs

Research programs cover health economics, health services research, comparative effectiveness, implementation science, and outcomes research, often producing work cited by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, and Congressional Budget Office. Project portfolios have included collaborations with the National Institutes of Health, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the World Health Organization, and topics intersect with chronic disease programs at the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, and Susan G. Komen Foundation. Methodological initiatives have linked to data resources such as Medicare claims, Medicaid analytic extracts, and electronic health records used by Partners HealthCare, Mayo Clinic, and Cleveland Clinic. The institute has hosted programmatic initiatives addressing value-based payment, accountable care organizations, telemedicine and digital health initiatives with companies and consortia like IBM Watson Health, CVS Health, and Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliates.

Education and Training

Training activities include postdoctoral fellowships, master's level practica, and certificate programs that partner with the Perelman School of Medicine, Wharton School, and Annenberg School for Communication. Trainees often move to academic appointments at institutions such as Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, University of Michigan School of Public Health, and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, or to policy roles at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and World Health Organization. Educational collaborations extend to professional schools including the Harvard Medical School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and to external training funded by agencies such as the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health.

Policy Engagement and Impact

The institute routinely provides testimony, briefings, and technical assistance to policymakers at venues including the U.S. Congress, state capitols, the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the National Academy of Sciences. Its analyses have informed rulemaking at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, policy reports by the Kaiser Family Foundation, and recommendations from the Institute of Medicine. Engagements have addressed implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion debates involving the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, payment reform examined by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, and population health initiatives in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments.

Affiliations and Partnerships

Affiliated units include the Perelman School of Medicine, Wharton School, School of Nursing, and Penn Medicine clinical enterprises such as Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. External partnerships span federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Veterans Health Administration, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, as well as foundations and research organizations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Commonwealth Fund, RAND Corporation, and Brookings Institution. The institute also works with health systems and corporations such as Geisinger Health System, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, CVS Health, and Blue Cross Blue Shield entities.

Facilities and Funding

Facilities for scholars include research offices on the University of Pennsylvania campus, data cores linked to the Penn Medicine Biobank and electronic health record systems, and collaboration spaces used for conferences with the National Academy of Medicine and professional societies like AcademyHealth and American Public Health Association. Funding sources combine endowment support, competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and contracts with federal agencies including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Veterans Health Administration, supplemented by philanthropic gifts from foundations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Commonwealth Fund.

Category:Research institutes in Pennsylvania