About News News Subscribe Economics Health Policy Leadership Racial Justice and Equity Advocacy Democracy Education Facet Area of Focus - News Ian H. Solomon Craig Volden Brian N. Williams Christine Mahoney Benjamin Castleman Kirsten Gelsdorf Gerald Warburg Gabrielle Adams Philip Potter Daphna Bassok Jay Shimshack Lucy Bassett Andrew S. Pennock John Holbein David Leblang Allan Stam Raymond C. Scheppach Sarah Turner Sophie Trawalter Timothy L. Davis Bala Mulloth Benjamin Converse Sebastian Tello Trillo Eileen Chou Jeanine Braithwaite Jennifer Lawless Jill Rockwell Todd S. Sechser Alexander Bick James H. Wyckoff Peter Johannessen Steve Hiss Daniel W. Player Gerard Robinson Laura Toscano Michael D. Williams Noah Myung William Shobe Brooke Lehmann Harry Harding James R. Detert Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi Jeff Chidester Kyle S. H. Dobson Larry Terry Margaret Foster Riley Molly Lipscomb Abigail Scholer Adam Leive Allison Atteberry Andrew Simon Brad Carson Brendan J. Boler Derek Wu Frederick P. Hitz Galen Fountain Gerald Higginbotham Isaac Mbiti Michele Claibourn Sally Hudson Tim Layton Xiao Wang Adam Roux Amanda Crombie Andy Ortiz Ashley Jardina Brooke Ray Charles J. Rush Charles J. Rush Diane Biesecker George Foresman Jieun Pai Justin H. Kirkland Kimberly Jenkins Robinson Melissa Thomas-Hunt Pam Cipriano Paul Becker Tim Layton (-) Christopher J. Ruhm (-) Paul S. Martin Facet People - News Facet UVA Partner - News Racial Justice and Equity Research and Commentary Faculty In Action Facet News Type - News Apr 28, 2025 UVA Batten a Hub for Health Economics Research The health economy is one of the most extensive and complex systems in modern life, impacting people on a deeply personal level. UVA Batten is honored to have three outstanding faculty members whose research expertise is focused on various policy aspects of the field, including Medicaid and Medicare, COVID-related mortality rates, and other topics. Learn more Jul 30, 2024 How State Policies Impacted Death Rates During COVID In a paper published in JAMA Health Forum, Professor of Public Policy and Economics Chris Ruhm finds that stringent COVID-19 restrictions saved lives during the pandemic based on a state-by-state analysis of health policies and COVID deaths. Learn more Dec 13, 2023 Ruhm Named SEA Distinguished Fellow Chris Ruhm, Batten professor of public policy and economics, has received a Distinguished Fellow Award from the Southern Economic Association in recognition for his “substantial record of exceptional scholarly achievement and long-term involvement and service to the association.” Learn more Jun 23, 2022 We May Not Have Been as Anxious, Depressed in Pandemic's First Year as Once Thought Health Policy Findings from the Batten School's Christopher Ruhm and colleagues at Harvard question the accuracy of the CDC’s Household Pulse survey on mental health. Learn more May 17, 2021 How to target opioid funding to states that need it most Health Policy Economics According to new research from Batten’s Christopher J. Ruhm, the federal government’s opioid grant funding structure favors the least populous states, which are not always the states with greatest need. In an op-ed for The Hill, Ruhm suggests several ways to improve the targeting of federal grants that aim to assist states with opioid problems. Read in The Hill May 03, 2021 Federal Opioid Grant Funding Favors Least Populous States, Not Those With the Greatest Need Economics Health Policy In a new paper published in the journal Health Affairs, Batten’s Christopher J. Ruhm and co-author Bradley A. Katcher find that the federal government’s opioid grant funding structure favors the least populous states, which are not always the states with greatest need. Learn more Feb 01, 2021 Martin Luther King Jr.’s Moral Call to America Leadership Advocacy Racial Justice and Equity In honor of Black History Month, three members of the Batten community who participated in the School’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations reflect on the activist’s legacy. Learn more Oct 22, 2020 Faculty Spotlight: From College Drop-Out to Action-Minded, Award-Winning Professor Leadership Advocacy Racial Justice and Equity Batten's Paul Martin teaches a course aimed at improving experiences for first-generation students at UVA, while also participating in a wide range of activities for the betterment of the Charlottesville community. READ IN UVA TODAY Apr 10, 2020 Batten's Paul Martin Receives All-University Teaching Award Leadership Martin, who came to UVA as a visiting professor in 2004 in the Department of Politics, then joined the Miller Center of Public Affairs, and became a member of the start-up team when the Batten School was created in 2008, has been lauded for his unrelenting commitment to cultivating his students to be thoughtful citizen-leaders. READ IN UVA TODAY Apr 09, 2020 How Might the COVID-19 Recession Affect Your Health? An Economist Explains. Economics Health Policy Recessions may be good for overall physical health, but this one could be different. Batten professor Chris Ruhm presented an online talk Wednesday offering an economist’s view of the overall health effects of the COVID-19 recession. His talk was the school’s third installment of its expert chat series about COVID-19. Learn more Nov 21, 2019 New Research: Non-Opioid Drug Death Rates Are Also on the Rise Economics The number of Americans dying from drug overdoses has risen rapidly in the last decade, with opioids viewed as the primary culprit. However, recent research suggests that opioids are not the only drug involved. According to Batten professor of economics, Christopher J. Ruhm, half of the overdose deaths have involved polydrug use and deaths involving nonopioid drugs are rising almost as fast as those involving opioids. READ IN UVA TODAY Aug 21, 2019 University Faculty Learn How to Live More Connected Lives by Confronting Difficult Past Democracy Racial Justice and Equity This past June, Batten professors Lucy Bassett and Andrew Pennock participated in the University’s Teaching Race at UVA seminar. Launched in the summer of 2018, the seminar which is an initiative of the Office of the Provost grew out of a desire to deepen faculty’s understanding of the University’s and greater Charlottesville’s complicated history with race. Learn more Pagination Current page 1 Page 2 Next page Next › Stay Up To Date with the Latest Batten News and Events Subscribe
Apr 28, 2025 UVA Batten a Hub for Health Economics Research The health economy is one of the most extensive and complex systems in modern life, impacting people on a deeply personal level. UVA Batten is honored to have three outstanding faculty members whose research expertise is focused on various policy aspects of the field, including Medicaid and Medicare, COVID-related mortality rates, and other topics. Learn more
Jul 30, 2024 How State Policies Impacted Death Rates During COVID In a paper published in JAMA Health Forum, Professor of Public Policy and Economics Chris Ruhm finds that stringent COVID-19 restrictions saved lives during the pandemic based on a state-by-state analysis of health policies and COVID deaths. Learn more
Dec 13, 2023 Ruhm Named SEA Distinguished Fellow Chris Ruhm, Batten professor of public policy and economics, has received a Distinguished Fellow Award from the Southern Economic Association in recognition for his “substantial record of exceptional scholarly achievement and long-term involvement and service to the association.” Learn more
Jun 23, 2022 We May Not Have Been as Anxious, Depressed in Pandemic's First Year as Once Thought Health Policy Findings from the Batten School's Christopher Ruhm and colleagues at Harvard question the accuracy of the CDC’s Household Pulse survey on mental health. Learn more
May 17, 2021 How to target opioid funding to states that need it most Health Policy Economics According to new research from Batten’s Christopher J. Ruhm, the federal government’s opioid grant funding structure favors the least populous states, which are not always the states with greatest need. In an op-ed for The Hill, Ruhm suggests several ways to improve the targeting of federal grants that aim to assist states with opioid problems. Read in The Hill
May 03, 2021 Federal Opioid Grant Funding Favors Least Populous States, Not Those With the Greatest Need Economics Health Policy In a new paper published in the journal Health Affairs, Batten’s Christopher J. Ruhm and co-author Bradley A. Katcher find that the federal government’s opioid grant funding structure favors the least populous states, which are not always the states with greatest need. Learn more
Feb 01, 2021 Martin Luther King Jr.’s Moral Call to America Leadership Advocacy Racial Justice and Equity In honor of Black History Month, three members of the Batten community who participated in the School’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations reflect on the activist’s legacy. Learn more
Oct 22, 2020 Faculty Spotlight: From College Drop-Out to Action-Minded, Award-Winning Professor Leadership Advocacy Racial Justice and Equity Batten's Paul Martin teaches a course aimed at improving experiences for first-generation students at UVA, while also participating in a wide range of activities for the betterment of the Charlottesville community. READ IN UVA TODAY
Apr 10, 2020 Batten's Paul Martin Receives All-University Teaching Award Leadership Martin, who came to UVA as a visiting professor in 2004 in the Department of Politics, then joined the Miller Center of Public Affairs, and became a member of the start-up team when the Batten School was created in 2008, has been lauded for his unrelenting commitment to cultivating his students to be thoughtful citizen-leaders. READ IN UVA TODAY
Apr 09, 2020 How Might the COVID-19 Recession Affect Your Health? An Economist Explains. Economics Health Policy Recessions may be good for overall physical health, but this one could be different. Batten professor Chris Ruhm presented an online talk Wednesday offering an economist’s view of the overall health effects of the COVID-19 recession. His talk was the school’s third installment of its expert chat series about COVID-19. Learn more
Nov 21, 2019 New Research: Non-Opioid Drug Death Rates Are Also on the Rise Economics The number of Americans dying from drug overdoses has risen rapidly in the last decade, with opioids viewed as the primary culprit. However, recent research suggests that opioids are not the only drug involved. According to Batten professor of economics, Christopher J. Ruhm, half of the overdose deaths have involved polydrug use and deaths involving nonopioid drugs are rising almost as fast as those involving opioids. READ IN UVA TODAY
Aug 21, 2019 University Faculty Learn How to Live More Connected Lives by Confronting Difficult Past Democracy Racial Justice and Equity This past June, Batten professors Lucy Bassett and Andrew Pennock participated in the University’s Teaching Race at UVA seminar. Launched in the summer of 2018, the seminar which is an initiative of the Office of the Provost grew out of a desire to deepen faculty’s understanding of the University’s and greater Charlottesville’s complicated history with race. Learn more