Institute for Health Policy Studies

Laura Schmidt, PhD, MSW, MPH

Professor in Residence
Institute for Health Policy Studies

My lab investigates the societal root causes of chronic disease in our current food system. We study the interplay between the processed food industry and the populations that experience health harms from its products. Our research informs new ways to prevent obesity, diabetes, and related cardiometabolic diseases by making food systems more conducive to health.

Joanne Spetz, PhD

Professor
Institute for Health Policy Studies

Joanne Spetz is Director and Brenda and Jeffrey L. Kang Presidential Chair in Health Care Financing at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS), University of California San Francisco. IHPS is a 50-year-old organization that conducts innovative research to support, guide, and enable policymakers, communities, and clinicians in making evidence-informed decisions that improve health and health care for individuals and families.

Justin White, PhD

Assistant Professor
Institute for Health Policy Studies

Justin White, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management at Boston University School of Public Health. He is also Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UCSF School of Medicine. Dr. White is a health economist who conducts research to evaluate the effects of interventions and policies on behavioral risk factors for chronic disease and related health outcomes in underserved populations. Much of his recent work has focused on tobacco use and nutrition. In one stream of research, Dr.

Joe Guydish, PhD

Professor
Institute for Health Policy Studies

Research on access, delivery, and organization of substance abuse treatment services, treatment effectiveness, and adoption of new treatments into practice settings. He is currently testing an organizational change intervention for treatment programs in tobacco dependence. Joseph Guydish, PhD, MPH, is Professor of Medicine and Health Policy at the University of California, San Francisco.   His research concerns access, delivery, and organization of substance abuse treatment services.