Alumni News & Announcements

Winter 2018 Issue of Findings Now Online
Mar 16, 2018
With details about Commencement Weekend; features on alumni Mark Schuster and Josh Weed; photos from the APPAM regional conference, the holiday party, and the inaugural ping pong tournament organized by Brown Faculty Chairs; and much more, the winter issue of our quarterly newsletter continues Pardee RAND's goal of informing and entertaining alumni.
Q&A with Mark Schuster, Founding Dean of Kaiser Med School
Mar 15, 2018
Alum Mark Schuster (cohort '91) says he sees many similarities between the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, where he is the founding dean, and Pardee RAND: "The school is innovating and reinventing public policy graduate education much like we are reinventing medical education." He also shares how Pardee RAND has influenced his career.
Gaza on the Brink
Mar 9, 2018
The combined risk of violence and pandemic in Gaza makes this small coastal enclave a ticking time bomb, writes Prof. Shira Efron (alum, cohort '11). While neither Israel nor the U.S. has the solutions to all of Gaza's water and health woes, the United States' decision to withhold funding to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency could only make things worse.
Giving Spotlight: Josh and Kristin Weed Continue Family Tradition
Mar 6, 2018
For alum Josh Weed (cohort '01) and his wife Kristin, giving back to Pardee RAND is a family affair. They have a strong sense of giving back to the school, and are regular donors. They also attend commencement whenever possible, and Josh conducts alumni interviews with applicants to school.
Ready, Set, College
Mar 5, 2018
With at least $1 billion going toward developmental education, writes alum Lindsay Daugherty (cohort '05), states and colleges have started to rethink their approaches to reform. But it may be too soon for states to put into place broad “one size fits all” policies. In the meantime, should states do nothing?
Designing and Implementing Corequisite Models of Developmental Education
Feb 23, 2018
Alum Lindsey Daugherty (cohort '05) and students Diana Gehlhaus Carew ('15) and Alexandra Mendoza-Graf ('16) examined the implementation of integrated reading and writing corequisites—a reform to developmental education that accelerates students into college-level courses, while providing academic support—in Texas community colleges.
Obesity May Be 'Socially Contagious'
Jan 25, 2018
Alum Ashlesha Datar (cohort '99) and Prof. Nancy Nicosia found that people who move to a high-obesity area are more likely to become overweight or obese. This may be due, in part, to “social contagion.” Living in a community where obesity is more common may make inactivity, poor diet, and being overweight or obese more socially acceptable.
Jerusalem Embassy Move Sparks Turkey-Israel War of Words
Jan 2, 2018
President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital has exacerbated tensions between Turkey and Israel, writes Prof. Shira Efron (alum, cohort '11). Economic interests had provided incentives for thawing relations in June 2016, but separating economic interests from political differences is harder today given the mistrust between Ankara and Jerusalem.
Fall 2017 Alumni Newsletter Available Online
Dec 13, 2017
Pardee RAND's alumni newsletter features the creative results of a Tech Lab pilot. Other articles highlight "Pardee RANDroid," the school's new robot; a student-published newspaper; Dean Marquis' book, I Am Not A Tractor!; APPAM presentations, and more.
Promising Approaches to Army Institutional Change
Dec 5, 2017
The U.S. Army faces challenges including behavioral health issues, misconduct, and adjustment to changing demographics. Student Adeyemi Okunogbe (cohort '13) and alum Ben Batorsky (cohort' 12) found that long-term solutions will require changes in Army culture and climate. Such changes are difficult, but promising strategies do exist.
Drones Could Deliver Change to Africa
Nov 17, 2017
Drones have potential on the African continent to transform urban and rural infrastructure and enhance agricultural productivity, writes Prof. Shira Efron (alum, cohort '11). But deployment of drones in Africa still faces technological, economic, social, and legal and regulatory challenges.
U.S. Health System Should Prepare for Future Alzheimer's Treatments
Nov 15, 2017
Advanced clinical trials are underway for at least 10 promising therapies for Alzheimer's disease. But alum Jodi Liu (cohort '12) and student Jakub Hlavka (cohort '14) found that the U.S. health care system lacks the capacity to rapidly move a treatment from approval into wide clinical use. Millions of people could miss out on transformative care if such a breakthrough occurs.
Twenty Pardee RANDites Present at APPAM in Chicago
Nov 10, 2017
Alumni, students and faculty converged on Chicago for APPAM's 39th annual fall research conference November 2–4. The theme of the conference was Measurement Matters: Better Data for Better Decisions.
How Safe Should Autonomous Vehicles Be Before They're Introduced to Market?
Nov 7, 2017
Prof Nidhi Kalra and alum David G. Groves (cohort '01) developed a model to compare 500 different scenarios of autonomous vehicle introduction, adoption, and improvement. The research shows that putting autonomous vehicles on the road sooner, allowing them to improve quicker, could save hundreds of thousands of lives over time.
Evaluating Iowa's Proposed Stopgap Measure
Oct 16, 2017
To stabilize the state's individual health insurance market, Iowa proposed the Iowa Stopgap Measure (ISM). Alum Jodi Liu (cohort '12) and colleagues say ISM modifications would increase the federal deficit, but decrease federal spending per enrollee.
Savings from a Single-Payer Health System Would Not Be Automatic
Sep 26, 2017
Polls have shown increasing public support for a single-payer system in the U.S., writes alum Jodi Liu (cohort '12). Yet there is no agreement on how to set up and pay for a single-payer system or even how much it would cost.
Beyond Strategic Patience with North Korea: What Comes Next?
Sep 8, 2017
North Korea says that nuclear weapons are essential to regime survival. Alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75) says the United States should figure out how to persuade the North Korean regime that it is less likely to survive by posing a nuclear threat than by cooperating with the international community.
Dardia to Represent Alumni on Board of Governors
Sep 5, 2017
Michael Dardia (cohort '89) will join the Pardee RAND Board of Governors in November as the new alumni representative. He recently participated in a Q&A session with the School's new development officer.
Tensions Between North Korea and the U.S.
Aug 16, 2017
Alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75), along with RAND experts, Andrew Scobell and J.D. Williams, hosted a conference call with news media discussing the rising tensions between North Korea and the United States. RAND Senior Media Relations Officer Khorshied Samad moderated the call.
Extending Marketplace Tax Credits Would Make Coverage More Affordable for Middle-Income Adults
Jul 27, 2017
Paying for health care coverage is a challenge for Americans facing rising premiums, deductibles, and copayments. Alum Jodi Liu (cohort '12) and Prof. Christine Eibner say the ACA's tax credits that make marketplace insurance more affordable for lower-income individuals should be extended to middle-income adults aged 50–64.
Lessons from Israel's Wars in Gaza
Jul 26, 2017
The Israel Defense Force had to evolve to meet an adaptive and determined hybrid adversary during its wars in Gaza. Student Elizabeth Bartels (cohort '15) and alum/prof Shira Efron (cohort '11) found that the U.S. Army and the joint force can learn from the IDF's challenge of balancing intense international legal public scrutiny and the hard operational realities of urban warfare.
Pittsburgh's Options to Address Lead in Its Water
Jul 18, 2017
Pittsburgh is struggling to improve its aging water system. Student Michele Abbott (cohort '14) and alum/professor Jordan Fischbach (cohort '04) review the history and recent developments related to the use of lead pipes and the policy options for lead remediation currently being weighed by local decisionmakers.
North Korea's Continuous Provocations
Jul 17, 2017
In this July 17th, 2017 congressional briefing, alum Bruce W. Bennett (cohort '75), Senior International/Defense Researcher at RAND, discusses North Korea's nuclear missile programs, its changing relationship with China, and implications for U.S. policy.
Characterizing National Exposures to Infrastructure from Natural Disasters
Jul 12, 2017
Data and methods documentation for an analysis of how infrastructure systems - roads, the electric grid, ports, telecommunications networks, refineries, and others - are vulnerable to disruption from natural disasters.
Getting the Lead Out of Pittsburgh's Water
Jul 3, 2017
Without an aggressive long-term strategy for replacing service lines, and collaboration among the water authority, public officials, and residents, lead in Pittsburgh's water will persist, writes Prof. Jordan Fischbach (alum, cohort '04).