Tamara Beetham, MPH

I am a PhD Candidate in Health Policy and Management at the Yale School of Public Health in the Economics Track, and hold an MPH from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. My research focuses on the supply of behavioral healthcare and how policies can shape market forces to promote equitable access to high-quality care. I am particularly interested in contexts where healthcare providers’ incentives diverge from patients’ best interests or evidence-based practices, contributing to poorly functioning markets, unmet needs, and inequitable outcomes. My work aims to inform policies with the potential to drive systemic changes in behavioral healthcare delivery to better meet patient needs.

I am on the 2024-2025 academic job market. See overviews of my job market paper and other dissertation work, where I evaluate the effects of a Medicaid policy (1115 Institutions for Mental Diseases Substance Use Disorder Waivers) that links newly accessible Medicaid funds to minimum quality standards.

My research has been published in leading journals, including JAMA and Health Affairs, and featured in outlets such as National Public Radio and The New York Times. It has been nationally recognized among the annual Best and Highest Impact by Annals of Internal Medicine, Health Affairs, AcademyHealth, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. I have presented findings to policymakers and regulatory bodies, including the US Senate, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, and The Joint Commission. My research has been supported by awards from the National Institutes on Drug Abuse and the RAND Corporation.