Charleen Hsuan

Charleen Hsuan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Administration within the College of Health and Human Development at Pennsylvania State University. She also serves as Regulatory Impact Lead for the Research Methods Core at the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Her academic background combines law and health policy expertise, with a J.D. from Columbia Law School and a Ph.D. in Health Policy & Management from UCLA.

• B.S., Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University
• J.D., Columbia Law School
• Ph.D., Health Policy & Management, University of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Hsuan's research focuses on health and public health law, particularly examining how laws influence access to care and how hospitals and other organizations respond to legal requirements. Her work centers on emergency department transfers, health equity, hospital markets, and racial disparities in healthcare delivery. She investigates how policy interventions affect healthcare utilization, quality, and equity, with particular attention to vulnerable populations including racial and ethnic minorities and patients with substance use disorders.

Her extensive publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on understanding structural factors that contribute to healthcare disparities. Recent work examines racial and ethnic disparities in emergency department transfers, health equity in hospital markets, and timing of treatment for opioid use disorder among birthing people. Her research employs sophisticated quantitative methods to analyze large healthcare datasets and inform policy development.

• Structural Racism and Discrimination in Emergency Department Transfers: Unintended Consequences of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) - National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (2022-2024)
• Predictors of Ambulance Diversions: Do Hospitals Strategically Divert to Avoid Medicaid and Uninsured Patients - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2015-2016)

Dr. Hsuan's research has been widely disseminated, with her work being picked up by numerous news outlets, blogged about, referenced in policy sources, and shared across social media platforms. Her conceptual framework for optimizing equity in hospital-based emergency care has been particularly influential in the field.

As part of the Health Policy and Administration department, Dr. Hsuan contributes to research initiatives examining the complex interactions between healthcare policy, organizational behavior, and patient outcomes. Her work bridges legal, policy, and clinical perspectives to address persistent challenges in healthcare delivery and access.