Research interests focus on health care financing, coverage and access, including:

The design and evaluation of insurance and financing systems intended to increase coverage and access, particularly for vulnerable populations.

The measurement of coverage and access, and the measurement of equity in the financing and distribution of health care.

The application of costing methodologies and cost-effectiveness analysis – in the context of calculating the costs of expanding the coverage of a package essential health care services to reach specific population groups, and costing specific services, such as vaccines or HIV/AIDS interventions.

Current and recent projects include:

Analysis of health insurance expansion options at the State level in the U.S. (funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), 2008 – present.

Business Case for Quality – measuring the costs and benefits of a quality improvement initiative in Michigan Hospitals (funded by the Michigan Hospital Association), 2007 – present.

Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use (economics focus, including the use of taxation and costs related to tobacco consumption – projects in Mexico and China), 2006 – present.

The Global Burden of Unsafe Medical Care – documentation of the burden of disease related to medical errors in clinical settings (funded by WHO), ongoing.

Support to the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi for health sector analysis and graduate level public health training, 2008 – present.

Support to the University of Trinidad and Tobago for the implementation of a Masters in Health Administration (MHA) program, 2008 – present.

Calculation of the costs of secondhand smoke in the State of Minnesota (Principal Investigator – Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Minnesota), 2006-2007.

Analysis of options for expanding health insurance and the costs of gaps in insurance coverage in Maryland (funded by Maryland Health Resources and Services Administration), 2004-2006.

Calculation of the costs of secondhand smoke in the State of Maryland (Principal Investigator – American Cancer Society), 2004-2005.

Preparation of a book of case studies of health insurance in low and middle-income countries (Principal Investigator – project funded by the World Bank), 2005-2007.

Analysis of health reform options in 10 countries in Eastern and Central Europe (Principal Investigator – project funded by the Center for Strategic and International Studies), 2004-2007.

The expansion of health insurance in Ecuador (Principal Investigator for JHSPH on project funded by the World Bank and the Government of Ecuador) 2004-2006.

Analysis of healthcare financing options in Afghanistan (funded by the World Bank), 2003-2006.

Analysis and presentation of health insurance and health sector reform options in Turkey (TUSIAD – Turkish Industrialists’ Association), 2003-2004.

Economic evaluation of zinc supplementation for children with diarrhea (U.S. Agency for International Development and the Gates Foundation), 2002-2004.

Economic evaluation of neonatal health interventions in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Mali (Principal Investigator – USAID and the Saving Newborn Lives Initiative), 2001-2004.

International comparisons in health policy, health economics, access, equity, costing, health financing, health insurance.

Advising, Mentoring and Teaching Recognition Award (AMTRA), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2006.

Delta Omega Honor Society, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, 1999.

Dissertation grant received from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 1997–98.

Graduated with distinction, Georgetown University, 1987.

Nabisco Brands scholarship for interest and promise in the field of international public affairs, Georgetown University, 1986.

Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, College of William and Mary, 1985.

Koenig-Nimmo Foreign Service Scholarship, College of William and Mary, 1985.

(1) Faden, Ruth, Kalipso Chalkidou, John Appleby, Hugh Waters, and JP Leider (2009). Expensive Cancer Drugs: A US-UK Comparison. Milbank Quarterly, forthcoming December 2009.

(2) Rao, Krishna, Hugh Waters, Laura Steinhardt, Sahibullah Alam, Peter Hansen, and Ahmad Jan. An Experiment with Community Health Funds in Afghanistan (2009). Health Policy and Planning, Vol. 24, No. 5, pp. 301-311.

(3) Steinhardt, Laura, Hugh Waters, Krishna D. Rao, Ahmad Jan Naeem, Peter Hansen, David Peters (2009). The Effect of Wealth Status on Care-Seeking and Health Expenditures in Afghanistan. Health Policy and Planning, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 1–17.

(4) Waters, Hugh, Nina L. Alesci, Steven S. Foldes, Jonathan Samet (2009). The Economic Impact of Exposure to Secondhand Tobacco Smoke in Minnesota. American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 99, No. 4, pp. 754-759.

(5) Hussain, Hamidah, Hugh Waters, Aamir Khan, Saad Omer, Neal Halsey (2008). Economic Analysis of Childhood Pneumonia in Northern Pakistan. Health Policy and Planning, Vol. 23, pp. 438–442.

(6) Bós, Antônio and Hugh Waters. Determinants of Catastrophic Health Expenditures in Brazil: the Impact of the Public System and Private Insurance (2008). CEPAL Review, No. 95. Also in Spanish as: Bós, Antônio y Hugh Waters. Efectos de protección financiera del sistema de salud pública y del seguro privado en Brasil. Revista de la CEPAL, No. 95, pp. 125-139.

(7) Weiner, Jonathan, Joanna Case Famadas, Hugh Waters, Djordje Gikic (2008). Managed Care and Private Health Insurance in a Global Context. Journal of Health Politics Policy and Law, Vol. 33, No. 6, pp. 1107-1131.

(8) Dao, Huyen T., Hugh Waters, and Quan V. Le (2008). User Fees and Health Service Utilization in Vietnam: How to Protect the Poor? Public Health, Vol. 122, pp. 1068-1078.

(9) Jiménez, Jorge Alberto, Belén Saenz de Miera, Luz Myriam Reynales, Hugh Waters, and Mauricio Hernández Ávila (2008). The Impact of Taxation on Tobacco Consumption in Mexico. Tobacco Control, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 105-110.

(10) Waters, Hugh, Jessica Hobart, Christopher B. Forrest, Karen Kinder, Patricia Pittman, Anant Murthy, Bruce Vanderver, Laura L. Morlock, and Gerard F. Anderson (2008). Health Care Financing and Coverage in Central and Eastern Europe – Trends and Challenges. Health Affairs, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 478-486.

(11) Waters, Hugh, Laurel Hatt, and Robert Black (2008). The Role of Private Providers in Treating Child Diarrhoea in Latin America. Health Economics, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 21-29.

(12) Waters, Hugh, Laura Steinhardt, Thomas Oliver, Alice Burton, and Susan Milner (2007). The Costs of Non-Insurance in Maryland. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 139-151.

(13) Hyder, Adnan, Hugh Waters, Traci Phillips, and Julia Rehwinkel (2007). Exploring the Economics of Motorcycle Helmet Laws – Implications for Low and Middle-Income Countries. The Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 16-22.

(14) Waters, Hugh, Mary Penny, Hilary Creed-Kanashiro, Rebecca C. Robert, Rocío Narro, Jeff Willis, Laura E. Caulfield, and Robert E. Black (2006). The Cost-Effectiveness of a Child Nutrition Education Program in Peru. Health Policy and Planning, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 257-264.

(15) Hatt, Laurel and Hugh Waters (2006). A Pooled Analysis of the Socioeconomic Determinants of Child Morbidity in Latin America. Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 62, pp. 375-386.

(16) Hussain, Hamidah, Hugh Waters, Aamir Khan, Saad Omer, Imam Yar Baiga, Rozina Mistry, and Neal Halsey (2006). The Cost of Treatment for Child Pneumonia and Meningitis in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 229-238.

(17) Anderson, Gerard, Peter Hussey, Bianca Frogner, and Hugh Waters (2005). Health Spending in the United States and the Rest of the Industrialized World. Health Affairs, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp. 903-914.

(18) Waters, Hugh, Adnan Hyder, Yogesh Rajkotia, Suprotik Basu, Alex Butchart (2005). The Costs of Interpersonal Violence – An International Review. Health Policy, Vol. 73, pp. 303-315.

(19) Bishai, David, Samir Kumar, Hugh Waters, Mike Koenig, Joanne Katz, S. Khatry, and Keith West (2005). The impact of vitamin A supplementation on mortality inequalities among children in Nepal. Health Policy and Planning, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 60-66.

(20) Waters, Hugh, Laura Morlock, and Laurel Hatt (2004). How Healthcare Purchasers Can Influence Quality – A Conceptual Framework and Comparative Analysis of Contextual Factors. International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 365-381.

(21) Waters, Hugh, Leanne Dougherty, Simon-Pierre Tegang, Nhan Tran, Charles Shea, Kanya Long, Nathan D. Wolfe, Donald S. Burke (2004). The Coverage and Costs of Child Immunizations in Cameroon. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Vol. 82, No. 9, 668-675.

(22) Waters, Hugh and Peter Hussey (2004). Pricing Health Services for Purchasers – A Review of Methods and Experiences. Health Policy, Vol. 70, No. 2 pp. 175-184.

(23) Waters, Hugh, Gerard Anderson, and Jim Mays (2004). Measuring Financial Protection in Health in the United States. Health Policy, Vol. 69, No. 3, pp. 3s39-349.

(24) Waters, Hugh, Fadia Saadah, Soedarti Surbakti, and Peter Heywood (2004). Malnutrition in Indonesian Children, 1992-1999. International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 589-595.

(25) Waters, Hugh, Julia Rehwinkel, and Gilbert Burnham (2004). Economic Evaluation of Mectizan Distribution. Tropical Medicine and International Health, Vol. 9, Issue 4, pp. A16-25.

(26) Waters, Hugh, Adnan Hyder, and Traci Phillips (2004). Economic Evaluation of Interventions to Reduce Road Traffic Injuries – With Applications to Low and Middle-Income Countries. The Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp.23-31.

(27) Pavlovich, Wendy, Hugh Waters, Wendy Weller, and Eric Bass (2004). Systematic Review of Literature on the Cost-Effectiveness of Nutrition Services. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Vol. 104, No. 2, pp. 226-232.

(28) Pronovost, Peter, Dale Needham, Hugh Waters, Christian Birkmeyer, Jonah Calinawan, John Birkmeyer, Jonathan Skinner, and Todd Dorman (2004). Intensive Care Unit Physician Staffing: Financial Modeling of the Leapfrog Standard. Critical Care Medicine, Vol. 32, No. 6, pp. 1247-1253.

(29) Waters, Hugh, Laurel Hatt, and David Peters (2003). Working with the Private Sector for Child Health. Health Policy and Planning, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 127-137.

(30) Waters, Hugh, Fadia Saadah, and Menno Pradhan (2003). The Impact of the 1997-1998 East Asian Economic Crisis on Health and Health Care in Indonesia. Health Policy and Planning, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 172-181.

(31) Pronovost, Peter, Hugh Waters, and Todd Dorman (2001). Impact of Critical Care Physician Workforce for Intensive Care Unit Physician Staffing. Current Opinion in Critical Care, Vol. 7, pp. 456-459.

(32) Waters, Hugh, Hany Abdallah and Diana Santillán (2001). Application of Activity-Based Costing (ABC) for a Peruvian NGO Healthcare Provider. International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Vol. 16, No. 1, Jan-Mar 2001, pp. 3-18.

(33) Waters, Hugh (2000). Measuring Equity in Access to Health Care. Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 51, pp. 599 612.

(34) Makinen, Marty, Hugh Waters, Sujata Ram, Ricardo Bitran, Diana MacIntyre Margie Rauch, and Lucy Gilson (2000). An Analysis of Equity in Morbidity, Health Care Use, and Health Care Expenditures in Selected Developing and Transitional Countries. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Vol. 78, No. 1, pp. 55-65.

(35) Waters, Hugh (1999). Measuring the Impact of Health Insurance with a Correction for Selection Bias – A Case Study of Ecuador. Health Economics, Vol. 8, No. 5, pp. 473-483.