Sally C. Stearns, PhD

Sally C. Stearns, PhD, is a Professor of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Senior Research Fellow at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Trained as a health economist, Dr. Stearns’ areas of expertise include comparative effectiveness research, economic evaluation, Medicare, nursing home use, nursing home staffing, and health care use at the end of life. Her current research focuses on health outcomes and resource use for Medicare beneficiaries. Prior work including leading the Cardiovascular Outcomes Research Center as part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Her primary professional affiliations include: AcademyHealth (for which previously served as Chair of the Long-Term Care Interest Group), the International Health Economists Association, and the American Society of Health Economists. She is an editor of Health Economics. During her HAPF placement at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) in 2011-2012, Dr. Stearns conducted analyses of utilization of the Medicare Hospice benefit in order to contribute to possible changes in reimbursement methodology that were legislated as part of the Affordable Care Act.  Dr. Stearns currently is working in ASPE as a senior advisor assisted with assessment of proposals submitted to the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC).