Luisa Franzini PhD

Dr. Franzini is a Professor and Chair of the Health Services Administration Department, School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research interests focus on healthcare costs, health policy innovations in Maryland, health disparities, and the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare systems.

During the last 20 years, a major component of Franzini’s research and teaching activities has focused on the application of economics and econometrics to investigate the causes and consequences of disparities in health and healthcare delivery in vulnerable populations. She brings extensive experience in cost and cost-effectiveness analysis and a commitment to improving healthcare access and quality for vulnerable populations, including chronically ill patients and high-risk children on Medicaid.

Her research on health disparities addresses the pathways through which socioeconomic disparities affect health, including trust, cultural factors, religion, policies to reduce disparities, healthcare disparities, and disparities in parenting and academic achievement. Franzini’s research has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Health Affairs, Health Services Research, the American Journal of Managed Care, Social Science and Medicine, and the American Journal of Public Health.