Alumni News & Announcements

What Are the Characteristics of High-Performing Health Systems?
Jan 28, 2020

Alum Cheryl Damberg and fellow RAND researchers identified a list of characteristics of high-performing health systems as part of an ongoing effort to discover how and why some U.S. health systems are high performing and others are not.
Alum: Thinking Machines Will Change Future Warfare
Jan 27, 2020

Until now, deterrence has been about humans trying to dissuade other humans from doing something. But what if the thinking is done by AI and autonomous systems? A wargame led by alum Yuna Wong (cohort '00) explored what happens to deterrence when decisions can be made at machine speeds and when states can put fewer human lives at risk.
Alum: North Korea Is Selling Political Deception
Jan 3, 2020

Why did Kim Jong-un substitute releasing the North Korean Workers' Party Plenary report instead of his traditional New Year's address? Alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75) says that as with many things in North Korea, we do not know, forcing us to speculate.
Alum: Where Science Says to Spend Any U.S. Opioid Settlement Money
Dec 19, 2019

A global settlement with pharmaceutical companies has started to appear more and more likely. But alum Bradley Stein (cohort '97) says even with billions of dollars, the settlement resources won't be unlimited. To avoid mistakes made in the tobacco master settlement agreement, any opioid funds must be carefully allocated.
Alum: Using an Integrated Systems-Based Approach to Address the U.S. Opioid Crisis
Dec 17, 2019

Alum Bradley Stein (cohort '97) presented testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 17, 2019. In this video he summarizes his expert recommendations.
Minding the Gaps: US Military Strategy Toward China
Dec 11, 2019

The U.S. national security community continues to consider the proper military response to China's ongoing military modernization efforts, but many aspects of the debate remain unresolved. Alum John Speed Meyers argues that, if analysts writing on US military strategy toward China want to improve the public debate, these analytical gaps must be filled.
Three Students Create Pardee RAND Legacies
Dec 10, 2019

Students Alexandra Mendoza-Graf (Cohort '16), Ashley Woo ('18), and Sohaela Amiri ('16) didn't have far to look when they decided to pursue a Ph.D. in policy analysis. While forging their own paths, they are also following in the footsteps of relatives who also happen to be Pardee RAND alumni: Marlon Graf ('12), Jonathan Wong ('12), and Sara Amiri Cohort ('05).
Career Services Talks Feature Six Alumni
Nov 25, 2019

A record number of alumni presented career talks this quarter, but the Career Services team is working hard to break that record in the near future.
Alumni Help Plan 50th Anniversary
Nov 18, 2019

Eighteen terrific alumni are joining Jeffrey Wasserman (Cohort '85) on a task force to help plan activities and events to celebrate Pardee RAND's 50th anniversary throughout 2020.
Students, Alumni Celebrate Power of Philanthropy
Nov 18, 2019

More than a dozen students, alumni, and faculty had the opportunity to express their appreciation for RAND and Pardee RAND's philanthropic supporters at "An Evening with RAND" on November 14.
Student-Alumni Research Finds Unintended Consequences of Policies that Punish Pregnant Women for Substance Use
Nov 13, 2019

Joshua Russell-Fritch (cohort '16), alum Bradley Stein ('97), and RAND colleagues found that state policies that punish pregnant women for illicit substance use are associated with higher rates of infants being born with opioid withdrawal.
Student-Alum Research Finds Australia Is Not Prepared to Deliver an Alzheimer's Treatment
Nov 11, 2019

As in other countries, the Australian health care system has limited capacity to rapidly move a future treatment for Alzheimer's disease from approval into wide clinical use. Sangita Baxi (cohort '17) and Jodi Liu ('12) find that could leave thousands of older people without access to transformative care if such a breakthrough occurs.
Alumni, Students Explore Next-Generation Wargaming for the U.S. Marine Corps
Oct 16, 2019

The U.S. Marine Corps has an opportunity to adopt wargaming best practices, tools, and approaches from other sources and adapt them to suit its needs. Yuna Wong (cohort '00), Ellie Bartels ('15), and Benjamin Smith ('15) explore what courses of action the Marine Corps should take toward building its next-generation wargaming concept.
Alumni Event: Expanding Education and Employment Opportunities for Inmates and Ex-offenders
Sep 21, 2019

Contributions to the Alumni Impact Fund are helping RAND researchers advance education opportunities and career prospects for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. All alumni are welcome to join us for a brunch discussion with Professors Lois Davis and Priscillia Hunt and other current AIF recipients.
Alumni Event: Solving the Opioid Crisis
Sep 12, 2019

Alum Brad Stein (cohort '97), Prof. Beau Kilmer, and other RAND experts discussed their efforts to model the comprehensive opioid ecosystem and help reverse the tide of this critical challenge. Dean Susan Marquis moderated the discussion.
APPAM Conferences Feature Students, Alumni
Aug 29, 2019

Dozens of students, alumni, faculty, and RAND colleagues are participating in the 2019 APPAM Fall Conference in Denver, and six students and alumni attended the 2019 APPAM International Conference in Barcelona this July.
How Big Is the U.S. Market for Cannabis, Cocaine, Heroin, and Meth?
Aug 20, 2019

Americans spent about $150 billion on cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine in 2016, according to research by alum Greg Midgette (cohort '09), student Steve Davenport ('15), and professor Beau Kilmer. The cannabis market was roughly the size of the cocaine and meth markets combined.
Identifying High-Performing Health Systems
Jul 24, 2019

When it comes to identifying high-performing health systems, alum Cheryl Damberg (cohort '89) finds, what you measure and how you measure it matters.
Is Canada Prepared to Meet Demand for Alzheimer's Treatment?
Jul 18, 2019

If a treatment to slow the progression of Alzheimer's became available in 2021, hundreds of thousands of patients in Canada could progress to Alzheimer's dementia while on wait lists unless health care capacity is increased. Student Sangita Baxi (cohort '17) and alumni Jodi Liu ('12) and Jakub Hlavka ('14) explore challenges and suggest potential solutions.
Improving the Child Welfare System to Respond to the Needs of Substance-Exposed Infants
Jul 17, 2019

To realize the gains envisioned by recent legislation, alum Bradley Stein (cohort '97) says the Administration and Congress should prioritize additional funding to modernize our child welfare system to meet the unique needs of families affected by substance misuse.