Glenn A. Melnick, Ph.D. Director
Dr. Glenn Melnick is professor and Blue Cross of California Chair in Health Care Finance. He is the founder and director of the Center for Health Policy and Management at USC. Dr. Melnick is also a senior economist and resident consultant with RAND in Santa Monica. Nationally-recognized as an expert in the field, Dr. Melnick has worked extensively in the areas of healthcare competition, health systems financing and delivery, and accountable and managed care. Regularly published in the scientific literature including the Journal of Health Economics, JAMA, and Health Affairs, his editorials have appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times. Dr. Melnick’s research in the area of healthcare competition began more than a two decades ago, involving development of the first hospital market-level data base in the U.S., which was utilized to evaluate the effects of market-based pro-competition policies. He frequently travels to Washington, D.C. to provide counsel to legislators and their staffs, and has served as an expert for numerous government agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission.
Katya Fonkych, Ph.D.
Dr. Katya Fonkych is a consultant with USC and RAND and possesses a strong background in applied economic analysis, quantitative analysis, healthcare markets and healthcare IT policy. Current projects include extracting and organizing data on chronically ill patients and analyses of healthcare outcomes due to disease management interventions. Her recent work with the Center includes analyses of policies and practices of Californian hospitals on pricing and discounts to the uninsured population, the effect of Medicare HMO enrollment on healthcare utilization in California, end-of-life Medicare managed care patients, the effects of inter-hospital competition on hospital pricing, and ED use and capacity in California over last decade. Katya received her Ph.D. in Policy Analysis at RAND.
Joyce Mann, Ph.D.
Dr. Joyce Mann is the academic director of the International Public Policy and Management Program at USC, a master’s degree program for international students. Her research has addressed issues of health care financing and access, particularly in the state of California. She has conducted studies of uncompensated hospital care and an evaluation of a health insurance plan for immigrant children in Los Angeles County. She has also worked on issues of health financing in a number of countries, including Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Ecuador, Ghana, and Nigeria.
June O’Leary, Ph.D.
Dr. June O’Leary is a healthcare researcher and consultant whose work at USC and RAND has been concentrated in the areas of health economics, hospital competition and care outcomes and includes research regarding end of life care for Medicare beneficiaries and on Medicare/Medical dual eligibles. Among current projects is a behavioral economics demonstration to test a pay-for-performance-for-patients (P4P4P) approach among participants in diabetes group appointments. Dr. O’Leary received her Ph.D. in Health Services Research from UCLA. Her work has been published in Health Care Financing Review and the American Journal of Managed Care.
Kelvin Nguyen
Lead Research Associate
Kelvin Nguyen is a Senior on the Pre-Health Track studying Health and Human Sciences with a minor in Public Health. With an interest in healthcare issues that affect marginalized populations, his research involves analyzing the socioeconomic factors that contribute towards inequality. Kelvin is also Director of Finance for the USC Emergency Medical Services organization (EMSC) and is Director of Trojan Health Volunteers (THV), and has contributed more than 900 hours of service to non-profit organizations as an Americorps Alumni.
Pratik Thakur
Research Associate
Pratik Thakur is a Senior studying Biological Sciences with minors in Health Policy and Economics. He is interested in understanding how forces such as economics, policymaking, and sociology all impact health outcomes. Aside from conducting research about health care systems and disparities, Pratik is committed to supporting underserved communities through his volunteer work both in his hometown of Kansas City and Los Angeles.