Undergraduates Study Healthcare Issues in Virginia
For the third consecutive year, undergraduate students from William & Mary and medical school students at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) carried out intensive research projects related to health policy and health services research as part of the annual SC-BI research program. The program, which is sponsored by the Schroeder Center for Health Policy at William & Mary and the Brock Institute for Community and Global Health at EVMS, competitively selected students from both organizations to conduct independent research projects. For seven weeks, the students attended talks by expert researchers, carried out their own statistical analysis of healthcare data, made connections with various faculty and students at the partner organizations, prepared briefs, and presented their research findings.
The William & Mary students, like other SC-BI fellows in the past, conducted their research using administrative data from Virginia hospitals. Cara Alcorn (Public Policy, '18) used patient discharge records to identify racial disparities among white and African American patients with hospital-acquired infections. Paige Anders (Economics, '19) used hospital discharge records to study the effects of the Affordable Care Act’s dependent care coverage mandate on hospitalizations of young adults with asthma. Yash Singh (Economics, '19) used patient discharge records to study whether unemployment rates affect substance abuse hospitalizations and the intensity of treatment for those already admitted.
For more information on the William & Mary student projects, please visit the Schroeder Center website.
