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Aparna Soni Assistant Professor Department of Public Administration and Policy

Contact
Aparna Soni
(202) 885-3777 (Office)
SPA | Public Administration
Main Campus
School of Public Affairs

Kerwin Hall - 340
Degrees
PhD, Business Economics and Public Policy, Indiana University (2019)


MA, Economics, Boston University (2011)

BA, Economics and Journalism, Boston University (2011)

Bio
Aparna Soni is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at American University. She is also a research affiliate at the IZA Institute of Labor Economics and University of Wisconsin’s Center for Financial Security. Aparna studies the impacts of public programs and policies on individuals’ health. Three particular areas of interest are: 1) the relationship between health insurance, public program participation, and health; 2) policies to improve health behaviors and mental health; and 3) health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her work has been published in journals such as Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, JAMA Oncology, and Health Affairs.



Aparna completed her PhD in Business Economics and Public Policy at Indiana University in Bloomington. Prior to her graduate studies, she worked as an economist at IHS Global Insight and as an analyst at the US International Trade Commission.
See Also
Personal Website
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

Teaching

Spring 2024

  • PUAD-630 Public Managerial Economics

  • PUAD-685 Topics in Policy Analysis/Mgmt: Healthcare Policy

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Selected Publications

  1. Wen, Hefei, Aparna Soni, et al. (2020). "Association Between Medicaid Expansion and Rates of Opioid-Related Hospital Use." JAMA Internal Medicine, forthcoming. (Link)
  2. Simon, Kosali, Aparna Soni, & John Cawley. (2017). “The Impact of Health Insurance on Preventive Care and Health Behaviors: Evidence from the First Two Years of the ACA Medicaid Expansions.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 36(2), 390-417. (Link)
  3. Decker, Sandra, Asako Moriya, & Aparna Soni. (2018). “Coverage For Self-Employed and Others without Employer Offers Increased After 2014.” Health Affairs, 37(8), 1238-1242. (Link)
  4. More

Grants and Sponsored Research

  1. National Science Foundation - "“Societal Trust and Health amidst COVID-19, and an Evaluation Framework for the Societal Experts Action Network (SEAN)"
  2. Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy - “Reducing Health Disparities among People Diagnosed with Cancer: The Role of Public Health Insurance Expansions”
  3. National Bureau of Economic Research, Center for Aging & Health Research - “Effects of Increasing Pharmaceutical Access on Elderly People’s Functional Outcomes and Implications for Caregivers”

Research Interests

Health economics; Health policy

AU Experts

Area of Expertise

Health economics, U.S. health policy, health care reform, and the opioid crisis

Additional Information

Aparna Soni is a health economist and assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs at American University. She can comment on issues related to U.S. health care policy, including the Affordable Care Act, health care reform, and the opioid crisis. Aparna’s most recent publications look at the impact of the Affordable Care Act on access to care, health outcomes, early-stage cancer diagnosis, and opioid overdoses. She is available for print, online, and radio interviews.

For the Media

To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

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