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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


Quality-of-life factors at home and in health care settings for people living with dementia.

Journal Article Gerontologist · October 22, 2025 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Person-centered "home time" measures track time spent in health care versus home using claims data. These measures can indicate patient preferences, quality of care, or quality of life. However, for people living with dementia, t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sex Differences in Mortality and Health Care Utilization After Dementia Diagnosis.

Journal Article JAMA Neurol · October 1, 2025 IMPORTANCE: Sex differences may contribute to disparities in dementia outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To understand the association between sex and mortality and health care services use after dementia diagnosis. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This nationwide coh ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


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

NC Medicaid Value-Based Payment Implementation

Public ServiceAdvisor · Awarded by NC Medicaid · 2022 - 2026

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Education, Training & Certifications


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.