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M. Kate Bundorf

J. Alexander McMahon Distinguished Professor of Health Policy and Management
Sanford School of Public Policy
Box 90312, Durham, NC 27708
278 Rubenstein Hall, Box 90312, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Professor Bundorf’s research focuses on health policy and the economics of health care systems. She has studied public and private health insurance markets, the organization of health care providers, and consumer decision making in health care. Prior to joining the faculty at Duke, Professor Bundorf was an associate professor of health research and policy at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She is also a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Bundorf received her MBA and MPH from The University of California at Berkeley and her PhD from The Wharton School. She was a Fulbright Lecturer at Fudan School of Public Health in Shanghai, China during 2009 and 2010. Her research has been published in leading economic and health policy journals and has received funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She received the 13th Annual Health Care Research Award from The National Institute for Health Care Management in 2007.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


J. Alexander McMahon Distinguished Professor of Health Policy and Management · 2021 - Present Sanford School of Public Policy
Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy · 2021 - Present Sanford School of Public Policy
Faculty Director of Research in the Sanford School of Public Policy · 2024 - Present Sanford School of Public Policy
Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2023 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments
Core Faculty Member, Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy · 2024 - Present Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News


Published June 28, 2021
Duke Awards 22 Distinguished Professorships

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Recent Publications


Risk Perceptions and Private Protective Behaviors: Evidence from COVID-19 Pandemic

Journal Article Review of Economics and Statistics · May 21, 2025 AbstractWe analyze data from a survey we administered during the COVID-19 pandemic to investigate the relationship between people’s subjective beliefs about risks and their private protective behaviors. On a ... Full text Cite

Telehealth payment parity and outpatient service utilization: evidence from privately insured workers.

Journal Article Health affairs scholar · April 2025 Telehealth was catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic and has become a new norm in healthcare. In response to the pandemic, some states passed telehealth payment parity legislation, mandating equal payment rates for telehealth and in-person services. We evalua ... Full text Open Access Cite

Physician Gender and Patient Perceptions of Interpersonal and Technical Skills in Online Reviews.

Journal Article JAMA network open · February 2025 ImportancePrior studies have revealed gender differences in workplace assessments of physicians, but little is known about differences by physician gender in patients' online written reviews.ObjectiveTo analyze whether patients' perceptio ... Full text Open Access Cite
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Recent Grants


Hospital Competition, Vertical Integration, and Participation in Value-Based Payment Programs

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation · 2025 - 2026

Effects of Negotiated Price Transparency Regulations: Evidence from Hospital Prices

ResearchMentor · Awarded by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality · 2023 - 2025

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Pennsylvania · 1999 Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley · 1994 M.B.A.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor · 1989 B.A.