
Located in Los Angeles on the USC University Park Campus, the USC PhD program in health economics offers students the opportunity to help shape the future of health care through groundbreaking research and innovative policy solutions. Our multidisciplinary program offers rigorous training in microeconomics, econometrics, cost effectiveness analysis, welfare economics, public finance, epidemiology and health status measurement. Students in the program work closely with our world-renowned faculty, gaining the practical research experience needed to launch their careers.
Our program offers numerous benefits to help position our students for future success. All of our PhD students are fully funded, including tuition remission and stipend, for up to five years through teaching and research assistantships or competitive fellowships. Many of our students participate in internships that offer real world experience and networking opportunities in industry, policy analysis and consulting. Our department’s affiliation with the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics provides opportunities for students to work closely with distinguished faculty from across USC on impactful projects. Bolstered in part by our strong alumni network, our students are highly sought after for positions in academia, government and industry.

High Demand, Real Impact
A collaboration of the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the USC Price School of Public Policy, the Schaeffer Center serves as an intellectual hub for health policy and economics research.
Meet the Faculty



Ken S. Wong, PharmD, MPH
- Director, Division of Healthcare and Biopharmaceutical Business & Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics

Erin Trish, PhD
- Co-Director, Schaeffer Center; Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics

Seth Seabury, PhD
- Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics

John A. Romley, PhD
- Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics

William Padula, PhD
- Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics

Darius N. Lakdawalla, PhD
- Professor of Pharmaceutical Economics and Public Policy; Quintiles Chair in Pharmaceutical and Regulatory Innovation

Geoffrey Joyce, PhD
- Associate Professor & Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics

Dana P. Goldman, PhD
- Leonard D. Schaeffer Director of the USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service and University Professor of Public Policy, Pharmacy, and Economics

Steven Fox, MD, MSc
- Research Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics