How did you initially get involved in behavioral economics research with LDI CHIBE? What was your first project?

I was lucky enough to be finishing my postdoc at Penn and starting my faculty position when the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics was just taking off. It was a great training opportunity for me to get involved with projects related to behavioral change and public health. My first project was an intervention in Peru to encourage households to participate in an  indoor residual spray campaign to combat Chagas disease.   

Part of your current work focuses on vaccine acceptance. With the anti-vaccine movement on the rise, could you describe the ways in which you think behavioral economics interventions might increase vaccine acceptance among parents?  

Vaccine acceptance is a topic where behavioral insights can make a big difference. We can inform our policy interventions (e.g., the laws governing how parents can get exemptions from mandated school-entry immunizations) by thinking about social norms, defaults, and present bias.  Clinical interventions (e.g., how a health care provider counsels a vaccine-hesitant parent) can similarly be informed by creative approaches to framing, risk aversion, and information avoidance.   

What area of health care do you think holds untapped potential for behavioral economics solutions?

I’m part of a team at Penn led by Dr. Rinad Beidas that is thinking about how to apply behavioral economics to community mental health programs. The specific challenge here is incentivizing organizations and providers to use evidence-based mental health therapies. We’re designing studies to identify the best way to structure financial and non-financial incentives to improve patient outcomes. 

Your first behavioral economics project took place in Peru. What global health projects are currently on the horizon for you?

I’m involved in a study in Senegal on adolescent reproductive health outcomes, finishing up two studies in South Africa on healthy food shopping and safe driving, and moving into an exciting new phase of our ongoing work in Peru, bringing lessons on community participation from our Chagas disease work to a canine rabies outbreak.