Postdoctoral Scholar in Health Economics/Health Policy

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Dr. Brandy Lipton is seeking applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow who aspires to become an independent researcher in the areas of health economics, health policy, or health services research. The Fellow would join the Department of Health, Society, and Behavior within the University of California, Irvine's School of Population & Public Health and work closely with Dr. Lipton on a variety of projects that examine the effects of public policies on population health and well-being. This is expected to be a 2 year appointment, with possibility of renewal contingent on performance and funding availability.

Background: The Postdoctoral Fellow will have opportunities to contribute to multiple projects that apply quasi-experimental research methods to a variety of large administrative and survey data sources (e.g., T-MSIS Analytic Files, National Vital Statistics System data, Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey etc.), depending on interests. Among other projects, the team is currently examining the impacts of Medicaid pregnancy dental benefits among pregnant people and their children who were exposed to the policies while in utero. We are also evaluating access to routine vision services among older adults, impacts of paid sick leave policies on program participation, and the impacts of California's recent Medi-Cal expansions. There will opportunities for the Postdoctoral Fellow to both collaborate and lead on papers related to these and other research topics, as well as to propose project ideas that could be accomplished with the available data resources. The Postdoctoral Fellow is also expected to take advantage of the many resources available at UCI (e.g., colloquia, workshops, faculty expertise) to develop a research career. Funding for conference travel and professional development is available. The start date for this appointment is negotiable but is anticipated to be in Spring or Summer 2026. An in-person appointment is strongly preferred.

Specific Duties:

• Conduct independent research using various survey and administrative data files.
• Assist in compiling and analyzing state-level policies
• Participate in project meetings and regular research lab meetings
• Contribute to and lead manuscript preparation for publication in high-impact policy, economics, and medical journals
• Contribute to applications to access restricted data files
• Contribute to Institutional Review Board protocol development
• Mentor junior student team members
• Engage in professional development activities (e.g., UCI seminar attendance, conference presentations and networking opportunities)

School: https://publichealth.uci.edu/

Department: https://publichealth.uci.edu/departments/department-of-health-society-behavior/

Basic Qualifications:

• Must have a Ph.D. in Economics, Health Policy, Public Policy, Public Health, or other related social, behavioral, or population science health field by the start date of 07/01/2026
• Familiarity with quasi-experimental research methods, including newer methods that address heterogeneous treatment timing
• Strong quantitative data analysis skills
• Fluency in Stata, SAS, or R

• 3 required (contact information only)

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC anti-discrimination policy.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• 
  APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment.
  
  

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.