Erin L. Duffy, PhD, MPH

Erin L. Duffy is a research scientist and the newly appointed Director of Research Training at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics.

Duffy is the author of over 50 peer-reviewed articles, reports, and commentaries, and her research has been published in leading medical and health policy journals. Her work has been cited in publications by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and has been featured in the New York Times, National Public Radio, and other media.

Her research explores cost-drivers, market failures, and patients’ financial liability in the American healthcare system. Duffy’s current work explores how uninsured and underinsured patients navigate “shopping” for healthcare services and receiving medical bills. Her past work measured the prevalence and magnitude of surprise medical bills, and she continues to evaluate the impacts of federal and state policies that ban surprise medical bills. She has also conducted qualitative and quantitative research on health systems’ performance, healthcare provider payment, and socioeconomic and racial disparities in health outcomes.

Duffy earned a PhD in policy analysis from Pardee RAND Graduate School, an MPH in biostatistics and epidemiology from Boston University, and a BA from Wellesley College. She completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the USC Schaeffer Center.