Tami Gurley

Tami Gurley is a Professor and PhD Program Director at the O’Donnell School of Public Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center. Previously, she directed the Ph.D. program in Health Policy and Management at the University of Kansas Medical School. Her research focuses on the impact of policies and programs on health outcomes, family/work decisions, and collaborations with federal/state/local organizations to inform policy decisions on Medicaid, community health workers, health insurance design, tax policy, and entrepreneurship. She leads the development of UT Southwestern’s Ph.D. in health economics and policy, aiming to train researchers and leaders in health policy impact.

Research interests include health policy analysis, public health interventions, and the intersection of economic policies with health outcomes. She emphasizes translating research into actionable policy, particularly in marginalized communities. Her work bridges academic and practical healthcare delivery through partnerships with diverse organizations.

Key themes in her publications include financial burdens in healthcare (e.g., liver transplantation, cancer screening), mental health outcomes post-transplantation, and the economic impacts of health policies. She has also explored breastfeeding outcomes, tax reforms’ effects on infant health, and telemedicine in rural hospice care.

• Scientific Awards: Public Finance Review Outstanding Paper Award (2009).

Dr. Gurley advises on national-level health policy initiatives and contributes to grants focusing on healthcare equity. Her work with community health worker programs and ACA implementations highlights her commitment to reducing disparities. She collaborates with multidisciplinary teams across medical, statistical, and data science domains to drive evidence-based policy changes.