Jean Abraham, Ph.D, associate professor and Weckwerth Professor in Healthcare Administration Leadership, has been named director of full-time and executive MHA programs, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota. Her appointment begins February 1, 2016.

Abraham received her Ph.D in public policy analysis and management from Carnegie Mellon University with specialization in the areas of health economics and policy. For the 2008-2009 academic year, she served as the senior economist on health issues with the President’s Council of Economic Advisers in Washington, D.C.

Her research areas include employer-based health insurance and wellness program evaluation, competition in provider and insurance markets, and evaluating the impact of the Affordable Care Act on insurers, employers, and consumers.

Abraham joined the MHA program in 2001 and teaches courses to full-time and executive students. She has a strong passion for teaching and won the MHA program’s teaching award three times and the Leonard M. Schuman Award for Excellence in Teaching in the School of Public Health in 2011.