Erin Trish is associate director of the USC Schaeffer Center and an assistant professor of pharmaceutical and health economics at the USC School of Pharmacy. In addition, she is a nonresident fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution and a scholar with the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy.

Her research focuses on the intersection of public policy and health care markets, with recent projects focused on surprise medical bills, prescription drug spending, health care market concentration, and health care reform. Her research has been funded by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Laura and John Arnold Foundation and published in leading health policy, health economics, and medical journals. She has testified in the California State Assembly and presented her research at numerous federal agencies, including the Congressional Budget Office, Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. In 2018 she received the Seema Sonnad Emerging Leader in Managed Care Research Award.

Trish completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the USC Schaeffer Center and the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her PhD in Health Policy and Economics from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and her BS in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Read below as Dr. Trish shares her experience as an AcademyHealth member...

My relationship with AcademyHealth began with student membership. As a graduate student, membership with AcademyHealth afforded me the opportunity to rub shoulders with the highest tier of professionals in the field. Having the chance to meet with scholars and leaders whose work I’d read about, made my studies that much more real and valuable.

Since graduating and moving into my professional career, the benefits of my membership have only grown stronger. I find the connection to such a wide range of health services researchers from different academic contexts and with unique intellectual perspectives and specialties incredibly valuable. Attending the Annual Research Meeting each year, I stay current on the latest research, implementation strategies, and dissemination methods in the field.

Perhaps my favorite membership benefit AcademyHealth offers is their commitment to serving as our voice in Washington. It’s satisfying to know that part of my dues support advocacy initiatives. And, because of their work in this area, I’m constantly expanding my networks and being connected to real change makers in health policy as AcademyHealth works to put me in front of people on Capitol Hill.

It’s nice to know that an organization is striving not only to support me and my work, but also the continued success of the field.

Hear what other AcademyHealth members have to say. Check out our Member Stories page.