About

Welcome! I am a Ph.D. candidate in economics at Lehigh University. My fields are health economics, industrial organization, and applied microeconomics. My research covers pharmaceutical competition, physician prescribing, and health policy, with additional work on econometric methods and field experiments. I combine causal inference methods with large-scale linked data, drawing on administrative records and survey data from a national research cohort.

Before coming to Lehigh, I earned a Master of Social Science in Global Political Economy from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and an M.S. in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University. At Lehigh, I have taught Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis as an adjunct professor. Thanks for visiting, and feel free to reach out by email.

Job Market Paper

• Competing for Displaced Patients: Pharmaceutical Detailing after a Rival’s Formulary Exclusion
  Abstract

  I study how manufacturers target physicians after a rival’s formulary exclusion. Express Scripts removed saxagliptin in 2016 while Merck’s sitagliptin remained covered. Linking Merck’s payment records to 2013 Medicare claims, I compare sitagliptin-related payment changes between saxagliptin prescribers and sitagliptin-only prescribers. Difference-in-differences estimates show payment counts increased by 9.8 percent of saxagliptin prescribers’ pre-treatment mean. Estimated increases in payment probability and counts were larger among physicians with reported claims for both drugs than among saxagliptin-only prescribers. The highest prescribing-volume quartile had the largest level estimates. Formulary design thus shapes marketing even for manufacturers whose drugs remain covered.

Working Papers

• Beyond Overdose Prevention: Naloxone Coprescription Laws and the Path to Treatment with Shin-Yi Chou and Bingjin Xue. NBER Working Paper 35997. Under review.
  Abstract

  Over one-third of U.S. states have enacted naloxone coprescription laws, requiring physicians to prescribe or offer naloxone alongside high-risk opioids. Using Medicare Part D data, the Treatment Episode Data Set, and a difference-in-differences design, we study how these laws affect naloxone access, broader prescription behavior, and treatment engagement. Coprescription laws increased naloxone prescribing by 275%, with effects twice as large in states requiring prescriptions as in those requiring only offers. We find no evidence of increased opioid or benzodiazepine prescribing, countering moral hazard concerns that broader naloxone access might encourage riskier opioid use. Instead, we document significant increases in prescribing of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and gains in opioid use disorder treatment admissions, primarily in deliberate treatment-seeking settings. These results suggest that coprescription laws may have broader benefits beyond overdose prevention.

• Estimation and Inference in Bipartite Spatial Experiments with Interference under Cluster-Randomized Saturation with Zhiguo Xiao, Kuan Sun, and Peikai Wu.
  Abstract

  We study design-based estimation and inference for causal effects in bipartite spatial experiments, where treatment is randomized on source units and outcomes are measured on distinct receiver units, generating dense distance-decaying interference. Using a two-stage cluster-randomized saturation design on sources, we target a treatment effect comparing two counterfactual Bernoulli assignment intensities. Because assigning each receiver to a single nearby treated cluster can be biased under cross-cluster interference, we propose a local uniform-environment estimator. We establish convergence rates and a CLT under a nonstandard normalization capturing both receiver averaging and dependence induced by source clustering, and we provide a conservative variance estimator based on a truncated quadratic form. We also derive rate-optimal and conservative undersmoothed choices for the number of source clusters. Finally, simulations demonstrate that the proposed procedure improves both estimation and design relative to naive bipartite estimators and unipartite spatial design heuristics.

• From Research to Prescriptions: Does Negative Scientific Evidence Shape Physician Prescribing Behavior? with Shin-Yi Chou.
  Abstract

  We investigate the influence of academic publications on physician prescribing behavior, with a specific focus on antidepressants. Using Medicare Part D data, we collect comprehensive publication records from PubMed and classify research papers as either positive or negative toward the corresponding drugs. Our analysis examines the impact of these publications on prescription patterns, revealing how academic research can influence prescribing decisions. These findings provide insights into how physicians incorporate new research into their prescribing practices, with implications for the dissemination and impact of medical research.

• Altruism, Information, and Career Choice: Experimental Evidence from China with Xiaowei Hao, Jianan Yang, and Hange Yu.

Work in Progress

• Generic Substitution Laws and Brand Strategy at Patent Expiration
• Does Attending Conferences Change What Economists Study? Evidence from the AEA Annual Meeting

Teaching Experience

• Adjunct ProfessorIntermediate Macroeconomic Analysis (ECO 119)Fall 2025, Summer 2026
• Head Teaching AssistantPrinciples of Economics (ECO 001)Spring 2025
• Teaching AssistantPrinciples of Economics (ECO 001)2022–2025

Teaching Interests

• Intermediate Microeconomics
• Intermediate Macroeconomics
• Econometrics
• Statistics
• Health Economics
• Industrial Organization

Student Evaluations

Mean scores on Lehigh's six evaluation items (1–5) for selected semesters, with the department mean for comparison.

Student Comments

Selected comments from Lehigh course evaluations, lightly edited for grammar.

Adjunct Professor, Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis

Teaching Assistant, Principles of Economics