Irene Papanicolas

Irene Papanicolas is an expert in health economics who studies and compares healthcare systems worldwide. She is currently a professor at the Brown University School of Public Health and the founding director of the university’s Center for Health System Sustainability. Her research aims to find out what makes some health systems more efficient and successful than others. A major focus of her work is on international comparisons of health systems. She looks at how different countries handle things like healthcare spending, patient outcomes, and how well their systems respond to people’s needs. For example, her research has explored why healthcare costs so much more in the United States than in other developed countries. Irene also leads the International Collaborative on Costs, Outcomes, and Needs in Care (ICCONIC), a group of researchers from around the world. This group works together to analyze data on high-need, high-cost patients. The goal is to find ways to improve care for these patients and help policymakers create better, more effective health policies. She has worked closely with organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and various national governments to provide insights based on her research.