Barbara A. Ormond, Ph.D., joined the Health Policy Center in 1997 and is currently a senior research associate. Her main area of interest is the effect of health system change on access to care by uninsured and publicly insured populations. She has studied the structure and financing of both urban and rural health care systems across the country and has worked extensively on health system issues in the District of Columbia.

Current research interests also include the contribution of prevention to health care costs. Prior to joining the Urban Institute, she worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development with assignments both in Washington and abroad. She received her Ph.D. in health economics from Johns Hopkins University.