Alumni News & Announcements

  • A man looks at a street monitor showing a news report about North Korea's missile launch, in Tokyo, Japan, November 29, 2017

    Nuclear-Use Cases for Contemplating Crisis and Conflict on the Korean Peninsula

    Apr 5, 2022

    What are some potential ways that nuclear weapons might be brandished or used in a Korea-originated crisis? An essay by alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75) and Prof. Paul Davis sketches a number of cases involving conflict on the Korean peninsula. They offer insights on how and why nuclear war could occur, and the corresponding circumstances that must be avoided.

  • Alumni to Share Career Connections

    Mar 29, 2022

    Ying Liu (cohort '04) and Feng Zeng ('98) will be sharing experiences and insights from their work in the pharmaceutical industry at a Career Connections webinar on March 29. Liu is senior director of market access at Sanofi and Zeng is franchise lead for health outcomes research at Biogen.

  • APPAM Conference Includes Many from Pardee RAND

    Mar 29, 2022

    More than two dozen students, alumni, and faculty presented their research at APPAM's (delayed) Fall 2021 conference March 27-29 in Austin, Texas. The conference theme was "The Power of Inclusion: Incorporating Diverse Voices in Public Policy Analysis and Management."

  • Older man talking a receptionist at a medical office, photo by stockfour/Getty Images

    Do Financial Incentives Affect Medicare Use by Chronically Ill Individuals?

    Mar 4, 2022

    Alum Sai Ma (cohort '02) and RAND colleagues found that individuals with chronic conditions respond to changes in copays, although these responses are small. Reductions in PCP copays lead to reduced use of some specialists, suggesting that lowering PCP copays could be an effective way to reduce the use of specialist care, a desirable outcome if specialists are overused.

  • Wind turbines surrounded by fog in Costa Rica, photo by OGphoto/Getty Images

    A Green Costa Rican COVID-19 Recovery

    Feb 24, 2022

    Before COVID-19 hit, Costa Rica had been taking a leading role in addressing the effects of climate change by investing in decarbonization. Pardee RAND students, faculty, and alumni consider whether these same investments could also accelerate Costa Rica's pandemic economic recovery and help address historical inequities.

  • Illustrated graph shows how Costa Rica could reach net-zero emissions by 2050 under its National Decarbonization Plan. Achieving net-zero emissions is estimated to create a net economic benefit of $40.9 billion, visualization by Gabrielle Mérite

    Visualizing Costa Rica's Carbon-Neutral Future

    Feb 23, 2022

    The latest product of RAND Art + Data illustrates research findings by Pardee RAND alumni and students David Groves, James Syme, Edmundo Molina-Perez, and Carlos Calvo Hernandez, who analyzed the potential outcomes of Costa Rica's National Decarbonization Plan.

  • Doctor consulting with patient, photo by monkeybusinessimages/Getty Images

    Physician Compensation and Financial Incentives in U.S. Health Systems

    Feb 8, 2022

    Despite growth in value-based payment arrangements and a push to improve value in health care, alumni Cheryl Damberg (cohort '89) and Erin Duffy ('15) find that health systems currently incentivize physicians to maximize volume, thereby maximizing revenues.

  • Electrician teaching his apprentices how to strip the wires in the distribution board, photo by simonkr/Getty Images

    The Value of Education and Training After High School

    Feb 2, 2022

    Most types of postsecondary credentials can lead to improved earnings. But alum Lindsey Daugherty (cohort '05) explains that returns can vary across different fields and by demographic characteristics. Understanding the value of credentials can help individuals, employers, and policymakers make smarter investments.

  • The Embarked Security Team (EST) on Board USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7), along with Sailors from Coastal Riverine Squadron THREE's (CRS-3) boarded on Riverine Command Boats (RCBs), defend the vessel using dazzler non-lethal weapon and blank rounds during a simulated attack as it departs to support ships during Rim of the Pacific 2016. Twenty-six nations, comprising over 40 ships and submarines and over 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th iteration in the series that began in 1971 and is the world's largest international maritime exercise, photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Martin Wright/U.S. Navy

    How to Effectively Assess the Impact of Non-Lethal Weapons as Intermediate Force Capabilities

    Jan 18, 2022

    The U.S Department of Defense needs to be able to assess the tactical, operational, and strategic impact of non-lethal weapons to inform how and when they should be used and their integration into overall DoD capabilities. Alum Jonathan Wong (cohort '12) and RAND colleagues ask, how do non-lethal weapons contribute to overarching DoD goals?

  • ROK combat medics load a simulated wounded soldier into a U.S. Army helicopter during a joint exercise in Uijongbu, South Korea, March 5, 2008, photo by MC1 Lou Rosales/U.S. Navy

    Preserving the ROK-U.S. Alliance by Sustaining Military Exercises

    Nov 30, 2021

    The Republic of Korea (ROK)/U.S. military forces based in the ROK are in a constant state of training, which is required to maintain military effectiveness. North Korea seeks to stop this ROK/U.S. military training, but alum Bruce Bennett says taking the North Korean complaints seriously could be a mistake.

  • Seated female therapist wearing a mask, holding a clipboard, and facing her client, photo by SDI Productions/Getty Images

    Assessment of State and Federal Health Policies for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

    Nov 23, 2021

    Alum Annie Boustead (cohort '11) and RAND colleagues summarize the multitude of ways access to and utilization of treatment for individuals with OUD might have been expanded by state and federal policy during COVID-19 pandemic in 4 key areas: telehealth, privacy, licensing, and medication.

  • Patient at a medical clinic filling out paperwork, photo by Dimensions/Getty Images

    How to Prevent Health Insurance Loss During Future Recessions

    Nov 12, 2021

    The pandemic–related recession and job loss raised concerns that millions of Americans would lose their health insurance. But temporary aid to protect coverage prevented that from happening. Research by Nabeel Qureshi (cohort '18) and Profs. Christine Eibner, Jodi L. Liu (alum, '12), Carter C. Price, and Raffaele Vardavas found that making the enhanced marketplace tax credits in the American Rescue Plan permanent could keep coverage stable in future recessions.

  • Five Faculty Win Awards for Mentoring

    Oct 27, 2021

    RAND recently recognized five Pardee RAND faculty members — one of whom is also an alum — for their valuable contributions in mentoring junior researchers and advising colleagues.

  • A U.S. flag and flowers on the 9/11 memorial in New York City, New York, January 25, 2020, photo by Nicolas Economou/Reuters

    The Guilt I Carry Over 9/11 Drives Me to Help Others

    Sep 13, 2021

    Alum and U.S. military veteran Jonathan Wong (cohort '12) reflects on how the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have influenced how he has lived his life since that day.

  • ‘Federal Service Is Incredibly Fulfilling’: Q&A with Alum David Howell

    Aug 31, 2021

    Looking at the career of alum David Howell (cohort '03), it might seem like he was helping the United States prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic since he graduated. He spoke with us about his experience in the federal government, working on pandemic preparedness and response, and more.

  • Close up of a police car at a nighttime traffic stop, photo by RichLegg/Getty Images

    Can Novel 'Swift-Certain-Fair' Programs Work Outside of Pioneering Jurisdictions?

    Jul 20, 2021

    South Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety Program requires individuals charged or convicted of alcohol-involved offenses to avoid alcohol and submit to frequent testing. Alum Gregory Midgette (cohort '09) and Prof. Beau Kilmer say this successful program appears to be making a difference in Montana as well.

  • A patient recieves a vaccination at a COVID-19 caccination clinic at Bethlehem Baptist Church in McKeesport, Allegheny County. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/governortomwolf/51101479562/in/album-72157718930676885/">Photo</a> by Dan Zampogna / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY 2.0</a>

    Vulnerability, Inequity, and COVID-19: A Portrait of the Pandemic in Allegheny County

    Jul 19, 2021

    The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities. Student Pedro Nascimento de Lima (cohort '19), alum Jordan Fischbach ('04), and RAND colleagues developed an interactive tool that shows how rates of testing, cases, and deaths, and the ability to practice social distancing, has differed across neighborhoods and populations in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County.

  • North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 in an undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency, May 15, 2017, photo by KCNA via Reuters

    North Korean Nuclear Weapons Pose an Existential Threat to China

    Jul 13, 2021

    Despite the current border closures between their two countries, China and North Korea remain resolutely pledged to a “blood-alliance.” But alum Bruce Bennett and student Diana Myers argue this partnership has vastly different implications depending on which side of the border you consider.

  • Twelve Alumni Present Career Talks

    Jun 14, 2021

    Alumni near and far shared their experiences with current students this spring through interactive Career Services webinars and discussions, taking advantage of one silver lining of our virtual world.

  • An elderly black woman doing gardening at an outdoor table, surrounded by green plants. Photo by SolStock / Getty Images

    Societal Impact of Research Funding for Women's Health

    Apr 22, 2021

    An examination of the impact of increased funding for research on Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias in women, conducted by students Annie Chen and Hamad Al-Ibrahim, and alum Denise Quigley, showed that small investments in women's health research can yield large gains, including benefits above investing in general research.