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Brystana G. Kaufman

Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences
Population Health Sciences

Overview


Areas of Expertise: Health Economics, Health Policy, and Health Services Research

Dr. Kaufman is a health services researcher focused on improving the value of care for older adults with complex care needs, such as serious illness or developmental disability. She brings expertise in causal inference as well as Medicaid and Medicare value-based payment models to inform evidence-based program design. Her work prioritizes the evaluation of health disparities for underserved communities and seeks to inform whole-person models of care that integrate traditional clinical services with behavioral health, socioeconomic and social supports to address older adults’ diverse needs and reflect their preferences for care. She worked with the CMS Innovation Center as a 2022-2023 Health and Aging Policy fellow, and she is core faculty with the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy. 

Dr. Kaufman received her Master of Science in Public Health and PhD in Health Policy and Management from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. 

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2025 - 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 Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published November 2, 2020
When states mandate masks, fewer people catch COVID-19.
Published October 1, 2019
More Patients with Heart Disease Die at Home than in Hospital
Published September 7, 2016
Lack Of Medicaid Expansion Hurts Rural Hospitals More Than Urban Facilities

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Recent Publications


Discontinuation of Medications With Limited Benefit at End of Life in Community-Dwelling Older Veterans.

Journal Article J Am Geriatr Soc · May 2026 BACKGROUND: Discontinuation of medications with limited benefits (LBM) in patients nearing the end of life can reduce burden, adverse events, and costs, and enhance quality of life. However, most research on end-of-life prescribing has focused on nursing h ... Full text Link to item Cite

Trends in Quality of Life for Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment Across Living and Care Arrangements, 2008-2022.

Journal Article J Am Geriatr Soc · April 16, 2026 BACKGROUND: Monitoring trends in key quality of life (QoL) indicators is crucial for effective surveillance and guiding targeted interventions to improve well-being. Few studies have examined population-level trends among older adults with cognitive impair ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Retrospective National Cohort Study of Trends in Mechanical Ventilation Among Veterans Living With Dementia, 2010-2019.

Journal Article J Am Geriatr Soc · April 2026 BACKGROUND: Despite longstanding concern about an increase in use of invasive mechanical ventilation among persons living with dementia (PLWD), no studies have examined trends in mechanical ventilation use among PLWD in Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities. In ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Effect of paid family care (vs aides) on Medicaid waiver participants w/ IDD across the lifespan

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2026 - 2031

Improving the lives of persons living with dementia and their families through person-centered measurement of home time

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute on Aging · 2021 - 2027

EXpanding Technology-Enabled, Nurse-Delivered Chronic Disease Care (EXTEND)

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Nursing Research · 2021 - 2026

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Education


University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 2018 Ph.D.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 2015 M.P.H.
Bowling Green State University · 2003 B.A.