Alicia Plemmons

Dr. Alicia Plemmons serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of General Business at West Virginia University, holding leadership roles including Director of the Center for Free Enterprise Expertise, Director of Healthcare Research at the Knee Regulatory Research Center, Resident Scholar of Data Driven West Virginia, and Research Fellow in the Nemacolin Hospitality Innovation and Technology Lab. She additionally coordinates the Online MBA, Healthcare MBA, and Economics DBA programs.

Her educational background comprises a Ph.D. in Economics from Georgia State University, a Certificate of Advanced Study in Applied Statistics and M.S. in Economics from the University of South Carolina, and a B.S. in Business Administration (Finance) from the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Plemmons specializes in labor and health economics using applied spatial and econometric methods to analyze policy impacts on labor markets. Her research investigates how regulatory environments affect business formation, labor mobility, and healthcare access, with particular focus on occupational licensing, scope-of-practice laws, and economic freedom. Published in journals including the British Journal of Industrial Relations and Journal of Health Economics, her work on medical licensure reforms has been featured in Modern Healthcare and U.S. News & World Report.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals consistent emphasis on regulatory barriers' effects across healthcare and labor markets, with growing attention to spatial disparities in policy impacts. Her work increasingly examines vulnerable populations' access to care under certificate-of-need laws and scope-of-practice restrictions, utilizing natural experiments like interstate licensure compacts and military spouse licensing reforms.

As a policy expert, Dr. Plemmons regularly provides testimony to state and federal legislatures on healthcare licensing modernization. Her research initiatives bridge academic analysis with practical policy applications through multiple university-affiliated centers focused on regulatory reform and economic opportunity.