Alumni News & Announcements

Alum: "It’s Dangerous to Test Only the Sick"
Apr 6, 2020

Neeraj Sood (cohort '96), participates in USC's "Price Talks: Policy in a Pandemic," a virtual series examining policy challenges around the COVID-19 pandemic. USC recorded his 30-minute lunchtime Zoom presentation on the public health infrastructure.
Alum Coordinating UCLA Clinical Trials of COVID-19 Therapies
Apr 3, 2020

Alum Arash Naeim (cohort '99), chief medical officer for clinical research for UCLA Health, is co-chairing a clinical research task force that is coordinating tests of the anti-viral drug remdesivir and other therapies against COVID-19.
Alum and Student: North Korea Is Denying COVID-19
Apr 2, 2020

According to North Korean authorities, North Korea has not yet suffered any cases of COVID-19. Alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75) and student Diana Myers ('19) say that is very surprising, given that North Korea is a neighbor and extensive trading partner of China, where the disease initially flourished. There are signs that the absence of COVID-19 cases in North Korea is yet another North Korean deception.
Alum: Antibiotic-Resistant Bugs Emerge as Enemy in the COVID-19 Fight
Apr 1, 2020

Alum Kenneth Thorpe (cohort '80), professor of health policy at Emory University, says a subset of COVID-19 patients must fight an even more terrifying enemy. Doctors are increasingly watching in horror as drug-resistant bacteria, or "superbugs," invade patients' weakened bodies and send them into fatal septic shock.
Alum Estimates Economic Benefits of California's Stay-at-Home Policy
Apr 1, 2020

Joe Nation (cohort '85), a professor of the practice of public policy at Stanford University, calculated the net cost of the state's stay-at-home order. "National and state leaders who claim to be putting the economy first are in fact putting it last. Saving lives also saves the economy," he found.
Alum, Student Examine Software Acquisition Workforce Initiative for the Department of Defense
Mar 31, 2020

The U.S. Department of Defense seeks to advance the ability of its software acquisition workforce to rapidly and reliably deliver complex software-dependent capabilities. Bonnie Triezenberg (cohort '14) and Lindsey Polley ('16) ask, what competencies are needed for an effective software acquisition workforce?
Alum Shares Lessons from Italy’s Response to Coronavirus
Mar 30, 2020

Alum Michele Zanini (cohort '96) coauthored a Harvard Business Review article "to help U.S. and European policymakers at all levels learn from Italy’s mistakes so they can recognize and address the unprecedented challenges presented by the rapidly expanding crisis."
Hospitals, Insurers Brace for Coronavirus Financial Fallout: Alum Quoted
Mar 27, 2020

Alum Jeff Luck (cohort '91), an associate professor of health management at Oregon State University, says providers might press the federal government to increase reimbursements “to ease the pain" if treating Medicare patients for COVID-19 becomes a big financial burden.
Quarterly Newsletter Highlights Golden Anniversary
Mar 27, 2020

Pardee RAND is proud of its 50 years of policy impact, as well as its research contributions to the current coronavirus crisis. The school's newsletter features updates on how the school is responding to current challenges, cool student and alumni research trips to Alaska and Antarctica, and an exciting student research showcase, among other news.
Alum: A Few Hints of Light at the End of the Tunnel
Mar 27, 2020

Alum Loren Yager (cohort '87) writes, "There is no question that this is a world-changing event and that all the social distancing and other preparatory measures need to be taken as quickly and seriously as possible. But at the same time, we also need to see that there are some faint reasons for hope as we try to come to grips with the need to hunker down for months in our homes."
Alum: FY21 USMC Budget Indicates Institutional Inertia
Mar 26, 2020

The Grim Reaper is a 700 foot tall series of hills at Camp Pendleton that Marine recruits must summit to graduate from boot camp, writes alum Jon Wong (cohort '12). As the Marine Corps attempts to transform itself from a second land army and counterinsurgency force to operate within contested maritime spaces, the recently released FY21 budget request suggests that it will need to climb its own Grim Reaper to get there.
Alum Discusses Gaza's Coronavirus Challenges
Mar 26, 2020

In a podcast interview, Shira Efron (cohort '11) explains, "What we take for granted in the developed world you just can't do in Gaza. Gaza does not have enough water — it's not just that the water is not clean, which we know it's not — but it doesn't have enough water not only for drinking and cooking, but also hygiene and sanitation."
Alum: Is Covid-19 as Deadly as They Say?
Mar 26, 2020

Alum Neeraj Sood (cohort '99) contributed to a Wall Street Journal commentary that examines epidemiological data from a number of groups and argues that "projections of the death toll could plausibly be orders of magnitude too high."
Alum: Social Distancing Could Ultimately Teach Us How to Be Less Lonely
Mar 23, 2020

Alum Arthur Brooks (cohort '96) writes, "While public health officials are no doubt correct that social distancing is necessary, as a social scientist I would add that it is a necessary evil. Enormous amounts of scholarship have shown that social connectedness is central to well-being and good mental health."
Alum, in WSJ: It’s Dangerous to Test Only the Sick
Mar 16, 2020

In the Wall Street Journal, Neeraj Sood (cohort '99) writes: "President Trump says 1.4 million tests for the novel coronavirus will become available this week. That’s welcome news. But officials are about to make a mistake. The president said testing will be limited to people who believe they may be infected."
In JAMA, Alum Explores Taiwan's Response to COVID-19
Mar 16, 2020

Jason Wang (cohort '01) was the lead author of "Response to COVID-19 in Taiwan: Big Data Analytics, New Technology, and Proactive Testing," a viewpoint coauthored with Prof. Robert Brook and published in JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association.
Alum Coauthors Report Recommending Cyberdeterrence Strategies
Mar 13, 2020

As a member of the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission, Samantha Ravich (cohort '92) coauthored a report that "proposes a strategy of layered cyberdeterrence" and makes 80 recommendations to implement the strategy. She also participated in a Q&A panel at the launch event.
Alum Examines Effects of Limiting Payments to Hospitals for Out-of-Network Care
Mar 12, 2020

There is growing interest among U.S. policymakers to use out-of-network payment limits to curb surprise medical bills and as a tool to control rising health care costs. Alum Erin Duffy (cohort '15) examines how such limits might affect negotiated in-network prices and total payments for hospital care?
On Antarctic Expedition, Alum Discovers... Herself
Mar 10, 2020

Some people may dream of the opportunity to take an exotic Antarctic cruise. Others may dream of the opportunity to increase their self-awareness and leadership skills through a year-long training program. By participating in Homeward Bound’s fourth cohort in 2019, alum Zhimin Mao (cohort ’11) was able to do both.
Last Week Tonight Cites Alumni Research on Medicare for All
Feb 20, 2020

Two studies by Jodi Liu (cohort '12) and Kenneth Thorpe ('80), which both aimed to estimate the cost of Medicare for All, made a surprising appearance in a chart featured on John Oliver's late-night comedy-news program Last Week Tonight. The studies were originally cited in the New York Times last April. Liu was also quoted on the topic recently in Teen Vogue.