Bio: Mirella Cacace, a 2008-09 Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice, is a research fellow at the Collaborative Research Center 597 "Transformation of the State" at the University of Bremen. The work of the Collaborative Research Center 597 is aimed at determining whether, and in which way the national state has changed under the pressure of globalization and liberalization. Cacace's work with the center examines the changing role of the state in health care systems of OECD countries, and includes extensive case studies on the American and Canadian health care systems. Her prior positions include project manager at MediaTransfer AG Netresearch and Consulting, policy advisor at ABC Consult, and research assistant at Prognos GmbH. Cacace's recent research has focused on market competition in health care provision, the role of the state in health care systems, and health care financing and regulation. She has authored or co-authored several peer-reviewed papers and journal articles, as well as five book chapters. Cacace is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Bremen, and holds a diploma in economics from the Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg.
Placement: Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Mentors: Sherry Glied, Ph.D.; Lawrence Brown, Ph.D.
Project: Financial and Non-financial Barriers to Equity in Healthcare Utilization: A Three Country Comparison
Description: Mirella Cacace compared health care system equity in Canada, Germany, and the U.S. She conducted an analysis of the 2007 Commonwealth International Health Policy Survey of Adults to measure differences in health care utilization between low and high income groups (adjusting for need). She then decomposed utilization inequalities between the two groups by other socioeconomic factors such as education, race/ethnicity, and insurance status.