Swartz Named to Commission Established by New Health Insurance Law in Mass.
HSPH Professor of Health Policy and Economics Katherine Swartz has been named to a special commission that was described in the new Massachusetts health care legislation passed by the state's legislature in May. If successful, the legislation will ensure that nearly all of the state's residents will have health care coverage.
The special commission will examine the impact on premiums and on the availability of health insurance for individuals and small firms of merging nongroup and small group health insurance markets in Massachusetts. The commission will also examine the impact of alternatives, such as the concept of reinsurance-or insurance for insurers-in case policyholders run up big costs. Swartz has co-authored a new book called Reinsuring Health. See next issue of HPH NOW for details.
The new Massachusetts health care legislation required that two health economists be named to the special commission, which will be chaired by the Commissioner of the Division of Insurance. A report by the commission is expected to be issued by December 31.
Faculty Appointments, Promotions, and Departures
Howard Hu will leave his position at HSPH as professor of occupational and environmental medicine in the Department of Environmental Health to become Chair of Environmental Health Sciences and Professor of Environmental Health, Epidemiology, and Medicine at the University of Michigan Schools of Public Health and Medicine. His new appointment will begin on September 1. He will continue at HSPH as Adjunct Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
His wife, Sudha Kotha, former director of HSPH Alumni Programs and most recently director of Development at Oxfam America, will be deputy director of the University of Michigan Center for Global Health.
Appointments
Theresa Betancourt has been appointed assistant professor of child health and human rights in the Department of Population and International Health.
Judith Lok has been appointed assistant professor of biostatistics in the Department of Biostatistics.
Guocheng Yuan has been appointed assistant professor of bioinformatics and computational biology in the Department of Biostatistics.
Promotions
Dolores Acevedo-Garcia has been promoted from assistant to associate professor of society, human development, and health in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health.
Tianxi Cai has been promoted from assistant to associate professor of biostatistics in the Department of Biostatistics.
Beatriz González-Flecha has been promoted from assistant to associate professor of molecular biology and environmental health in the Department of Environmental Health.
Miguel Hernán has been promoted from assistant to associate professor of epidemiology in the Department of Epidemiology.
Igor Kramnik has been promoted from assistant to associate professor of immunology and infectious diseases in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases.
Meredith Rosenthal has been promoted from assistant to associate professor of health economics and policy in the Department of Health Policy and Management.
Copyright, 2007, President and Fellows of Harvard College
