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Karoline Mortensen, Ph.D.
- Assistant Professor
College Park, Maryland 20742
Education:
- Ph.D, Health Services Administration and Organization, University of Michigan, 2006. Dissertation: “Heterogeneity of the Uninsured: An Exploration of Personal Characteristics, Utilization, and Spells of the Intermittently Uninsured”
- M.A., Economics, University of Michigan, 2003.
- B.S., Economics and Political Science, Florida State University, 1997.
Biography:
Karoline Mortensen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Services Administration, School of Public Health, at the University of Maryland College Park. Prior to joining Maryland in August 2009, Dr. Mortensen was an Assistant Professor of the Practice at Rice University. She is also affiliated with AcademyHealth, the American Society of Health Economists, the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, and the International Health Economics Association.
Recent Accomplishments
Her research interests are focused on vulnerable populations. Her research examines the interaction between health insurance and health care utilization, particularly utilization of Medicaid enrollees and the uninsured. She also explores health insurance transitions and the health status and healthcare utilization of Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Houston. Mortensen’s most recent research in health has been published in Medical Care, Health Affairs, and the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. She is a co-investigator on a grant from the Houston Endowment creating the Mental Health Policy Analysis Collaborative at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr Mortensen has presented work at several local and international conferences. In July 2009, she presented a paper “Do Copayments Affect Emergency Department Utilization of Medicaid Enrollees?” at the International Health Economics Association conference in Beijing, China.
Funded Research
Dr. Mortensen is Co-Investigator, for a Mental Health Policy Analysis Collaborative, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The research is funded by the Houston Endowment from July 2008 – July 2011.
Future Plans
Dr. Mortensen is involved with several projects examining factors that affect health care utilization patterns of Medicaid enrollees. Current research and future projects explore the geographic variation in health care utilization in Medicaid, and the effects of emergency department copayments on utilization of physician visits, outpatient visits, and hospitalizations. Dr. Mortensen is collaborating with colleagues in Houston to examine the effects of the Medicaid Section 1115 emergency waiver on health care utilization of Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Texas. She is also working with colleagues and the CDC to further prevention strategies to improve nutrition and reduce obesity in Prince George’s County, Maryland.