
Research Affiliates and Fellows
Faculty Research Fellows






Brandy Lipton is an applied microeconomist specializing in health economics and public policy.
Her core interests lie in exploring the connections between health care policies and
both health and economic outcomes. The majority of her work leverages state-level
variation in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program policies. For example,
recent research has explored the effects of optional benefits in Medicaid on adult
health and labor market outcomes. Ongoing work is examining whether adult Medicaid
benefits affect outcomes among children of adult enrollees.
After completing her graduate studies in economics at Northwestern University, Dr. Lipton spent several years working for health agencies within the federal government. Her work involved analysis of nationally representative household surveys fielded by these agencies to address a variety of health and public policy topics. This work was published in high quality peer-reviewed economics and policy journals including the Journal of Health Economics and Health Affairs.
Dr. Lipton joined San Diego State University’s Health Management and Policy division within the School of Public Health in August 2017. Since joining SDSU, she has been an active participant in the Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies (CHEPS) seminar series, and also sits on the advisory board for the Center.

Faculty Affiliates



CHEPS Research Affiliates


Student Affilates
M.A. Students


I’m currently pursuing a data analytics internship for this summer. Some of his hobbies include being outside and spending time with friends and family



Isaiah Valencia received his undergraduate in Statistics at the University of California,
Davis. He is currently pursuing his M.S. in Statistics at San Diego State University,
though he aims to continue onto a Ph.D. in Economics in 2023. His primary research
interest is causal inference, particularly in the economics of risky health behaviors
and poverty.
Doctoral Students













Postdoctoral Affiliate
