Dr. Volpp's research program focuses on the impact of financial and organizational incentives on health outcomes. His work developing and testing innovative ways of incenting patients using concepts from behavioral economics examines the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of financial incentives in addressing tobacco dependence, obesity, and medication non-adherence. These approaches have the potential to dramatically increase the rates of healthy behaviors by better aligning incentives between patients, employers, large insurers, and health systems. Dr. Volpp also has completed a number of important studies using administrative data to examine the impact on health outcomes of major policy changes. This work has included several studies examining the impact on patient outcomes of the ACGME regulation of work hours for physicians in training, the first time that work hours for physicians has been regulated in the United States. He also has completed a number of studies examining the impact of changes in hospital payment and financial stress in hospitals on patient outcomes. His work has been recognized by receiving the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year Award from the Society of General Internal Medicine; the John Thompson Prize from the Association of University Programs in Health Administration; and the Alice S. Hersh New Investigator Award from AcademyHealth. He serves on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Wharton School and is a staff physician at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine (Primary) Ben Z. Stanger, MD, PhD is the representative at this institution.