Provost Katherine Baicker Appointed Emmett Dedmon Distinguished Service Professor

Provost Katherine Baicker, who previously served as dean of the Harris School of Public Policy, is among 26 university faculty who have been appointed to named or distinguished service professorships, effective July 1, 2025. Baicker was named the Emmett Dedmon Distinguished Service Professor at Harris.

A leading scholar in the economic analysis of health care policy, Baicker has focused her research on the effectiveness of public and private health insurance, including the effect of reforms on the distribution and quality of care. Her large-scale research projects include the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment, a randomized evaluation of the effects of Medicaid coverage. Her research has been published in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Science, Nature, Health Affairs, JAMA and the Quarterly Journal of Economics.

Prior to being appointed provost in 2023, Baicker served as dean of the Harris School of Public Policy for five years. She serves on the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Health Advisers and the Advisory Board of the National Institute for Health Care Management. From 2005–07, she served as a member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.

Earlier this year, Baicker was honored with the 2025 William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research, which recognizes significant contributions to research in the field of health service delivery.