Dana Goldman to serve as dean of the Sol Price School of Public Policy and co-director of the Schaeffer Center

Earlier this month, I started as the next Dean of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.

It is a great honor. The Price School is a treasure of dedicated faculty, staff, students, and alumni. This year, as I was serving as interim dean, we worked tirelessly to preserve democracy and voting access, develop COVID-19 testing strategies, advance solutions to homelessness, provide insight on the nation's housing crisis, and evaluate how to communicate the ongoing global climate crisis. We also created the first national database for police misconduct, which is slated for full operation in 2022.

In taking on this new role, I have also had a chance to reflect on the Schaeffer Center’s record since we started in 2009. Together, we at the Schaeffer Center accomplished much:

• Recruited 55 faculty fellows; including 3 Nobel Laureates and 4 new chaired professorships;
• Built a world-class data and microsimulation core to support evidence-based policy;
• Published 1,400 research articles, including 50 white papers to inform health policy;
• Rose to 3rd in the global rankings for health economics -- ahead of MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Brown, and University of Chicago;
• Developed an NIH-supported minority training program in health economics;
• Nurtured partnerships with The Brookings Institution, The Aspen Institute, and others;
• Raised $170 million in research and programmatic funding through federal grants, corporate support, and private philanthropy.

Throughout this journey, we remained steadfastly focused on pursuing innovative policy solutions — strongly rooted in evidence — to measurably improve value in health.  We helped to improve pharmaceutical policy, curb inappropriate prescribing, frame the debate over the Affordable Care Act and Medicare, and redefine how we measure healthcare value. Case studies of the Schaeffer Center’s impact are on our website.

Our success depends in large measure on the leadership of our distinguished advisory board (expertly chaired by Leonard Schaeffer); the dedication of our management team, fellows, and staff; and the support of our two partner schools —the USC School of Pharmacy and the Sol Price School of Public Policy. It is an exceptional group.

I am grateful to President Folt and Provost Zukoski for allowing me to continue at the Schaeffer Center as a co-director. I look forward to working with my Price School and Schaeffer Center colleagues to advance policy solutions and improve quality of life globally.