Harvard Catalyst Profiles

Dr. Ellen Meara is a Professor of Health Economics and Policy in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Social Insurance. Her research studies the impact of public policies and regulations on populations insured by Medicare and Medicaid. Much of this work has focused on people with disabilities. Recent projects have focused on state regulations to prevent risky opioid prescribing, the care of people with opioid use disorder in Medicare and Medicaid, and transitions of care and insurance disruptions for children with disabilities as they enter adulthood. When studying how health and social policies affect people with disabilities, Dr. Meara focuses on the health and economic impact of changes in insurance coverage, payment strategies, and care delivery innovations. In other work, she has traced rising differences in mortality and life expectancy in the U.S. according to education and across U.S. states. Prior to joining the Chan School in 2020, she served on the faculties of Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, where she was co-faculty director of Dartmouth's Master of Healthcare Delivery Science program, and at Harvard Medical School's Department of Health Care Policy. She also served as Co-editor of the Journal of Health Economics. Dr. Meara earned her B.A. in Mathematical Methods for Social Sciences and Political Science from Northwestern University and her Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University.