Jayanta Bhattacharya

Jay Bhattacharya is a professor of medicine and a Center for Health Policy/Center for Primary Care core faculty member. His research focuses on the constraints that vulnerable populations face in making health decisions, as well as the effects of government policies and programs designed to benefit these populations. He has published empirical economics and health services research on the elderly, adolescents, HIV/AIDS, and managed care. Most recently, he has researched the regulation of the viatical-settlements market and seasonal differences in nutritional outcomes for low-income American families. He is also working on a project examining the labor-market conditions that determine why some U.S. employers do not provide health insurance.

Dr. Bhattacharya worked for three years as an economist at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, Calif., where he also taught health economics as a visiting assistant professor at the University of California-Los Angeles. He received a BA in economics, an MD, and a PhD from Stanford University.