David Molitor

David Molitor is an Associate Professor in the Department of Finance at the Gies College of Business, University of Illinois. He also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Economics and serves as the Director of Gies Health Initiatives. Molitor is a Deloitte Scholar and Conrad W. and Shirley A. Hewitt Fellow, with additional affiliations at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). His research focuses on environmental economics, health economics, and labor economics, with particular attention to the impacts of air pollution, workplace wellness programs, and disability policy. He has received the NIHCM Foundation Research Award (2019).

Research Interests: Molitor's work examines the intersection of environmental policies and human health, including studies on air pollution effects on labor markets, suicide risk, and mortality. He also investigates socioeconomic disparities in health outcomes, workplace wellness program effectiveness, and the economic implications of disability during recessions. His interdisciplinary approach combines econometric analysis with policy evaluation to address pressing societal challenges.

Recent Articles: Molitor's 2024 studies on wildfire smoke's labor market impacts and urban environmental damage mitigation showcase his focus on climate-related health risks. Earlier work includes analyses of temperature adaptation (2021), workplace wellness programs (2020), and hurricane mortality patterns (2018).

Recognition: His NIHCM award recognizes contributions to health policy research. Media engagements include coverage of his wildfire-smoke suicide risk study (2023) and disability Medicare research (2022).

Leadership & Affiliations: As Director of Gies Health Initiatives, Molitor bridges academic research with practical health policy solutions. His NCSA affiliation supports computational approaches to large-scale health data analysis.