Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA

Dr. Cuellar, Professor of Health Administration and Policy, has extensive research experience in health care systems, Medicaid, mental health, and justice involved populations. A health policy researcher, her contributions include work on evaluating new organizational forms, such as hospital systems and physician alliances and their effects on quality, efficiency, costs, prices, and equity. In other work she has examined the intersection of behavioral health and the justice system; Medicaid policies and their impact on justice-involved youth and youth with behavioral health problems; on mental health courts as an innovative alternative for justice-involved juveniles; and on health care services for incarcerated youth and adults returning to the community. She currently also engaged in research related to Medicaid perinatal care, equity, and payment. Her work has been funded by NIMH, NICHD, AHRQ, NIJ, SAMHSA, and private foundations including National Institute for Health Care Management, Robert Wood Johnson, and MacArthur.

Dr. Cuellar was appointed Vice-Chair of the Centers for Disease Control Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF), an independent, nonfederal panel of public health and prevention experts that provides evidence-based findings and recommendations about community preventive services, programs, and other interventions aimed at improving population health. 

In addition to her role as Research Associate in the National Bureau of Economic Research, Dr. Cuellar is affiliated with the Center for Micro-Economic Policy Research, a forum for policy-relevant research using micro-economic and micro-econometric methods hosted by GMU’s Schar School of Policy and Government.

Dr. Cuellar served on the NASEM Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States which released its report in 2017. Previously, she was a member of a national collaborative Mental Health Policy network supported by the MacArthur Foundation. In 2005-2006, she spent the academic year as a visiting economist to the U.S. Department of Justice. Dr. Cuellar serves on the editorial board of Medical Care Research and Review and is co-editor of the Economic Grand Rounds column in the journal Psychiatric Services. 

Dr. Cuellar served as Interim Associate Dean for Research in the College of Health and Human Services in 2018/2019. Prior to joining George Mason University Dr. Cuellar was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. Her work has been published in several journals, including Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Journal of Health Economics, American Journal of Public Health, Health Affairs, Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, JAMA Network Open, and Journal of General Internal Medicine among others.

University Service

• George Mason University, Board or Visitors, Finance and Land Use Committee, Faculty Representative
• George Mason University, Institute for Biohealth Innovation Advisory Council
• George Mason University Academic Program Review (APR) Peer Review Committee, 2016/17-2018/2019
• George Mason University, Reviewer for Provost's Multidisciplinary Research Seed Grants, 2016
• President Cabrera’s Visioning Process, Regional Strategy Working Group, GMU, 2012
• College of Health and Human Services Dean Search Committee, 2011, 2021
• Host and Organizer: Annual Southeastern Health Economics Study Group meeting at George Mason University, October 2012, 2022

Community Service

• NASEM Committee Member, Culture of Health: Committee on Community Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States
• National Quality Forum, Measure Applications Partnership Dual Eligible Beneficiaries Workgroup, 2016-Present
• Member, Advisory Board, Transition Clinic Network 2014-Present
• Advisory Group member to the "Models for Change Information-Sharing Project" of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, 2007-2008
• Scientific Committee member, American Society of Health Economists
• Scientific Committee member, International Health Economics Association
• Research Conference Planning Committee, Greater New York Hospital Association, 2003, 2004, 2007
• CPN (formerly Community Partners Network) Arlington, VA, Co-Chair

Research

Research Interests

• Vulnerable populations
• Medicaid
• Mental health and substance use
• Criminal justice systems
• Health care delivery systems
• Physician and hospital integration
• Merger

Publications

Cuellar AE and Colange, N "The Community Preventive Services Task Force: 25 years of Effectiveness, Economics, and Equity,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Cuellar AE, Pomeroy ML, Burla S, Jena AB. "Quality of Antibiotic Prescribing in a Large Direct-to-Patient Telehealth Program: An Observational Study" Journal of General Internal Medicine, 10.1007/s11606-021-07354-8

Xue H, et al. Impact of tobacco retail licensing on youth smoking in Virginia: A systems dynamics simulation approach Tobacco Regulatory Control. 2021

Jacob V, Reynolds JA, Chattopadhyay SK, Hopkins DP, Therrien NL, Jones CD, Durthaler JM, Rask KJ, Cuellar AE, Clymer JM, Kottke TE; Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF). Pharmacist Interventions for Medication Adherence: Community Guide Economic Reviews for Cardiovascular Disease. Am J Prev Med. 2021 Dec 4:S0749-3797(21)00507-9. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.08.021. 

Jacob V, Chattopadhyay SK, Attipoe-Dorcoo A, Yinan P, Hahn RA, Cobb J, Cuellar AE, Emmons KM, Remington PL.  “Permanent Supportive Housing with Housing First: Findings from Community Guide Systematic Economic Review” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2021 Nov 10:S0749-3797(21)00482-7. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.08.009.

Cuellar AE, Ramezani N, Breno A, Johnson JE, Taxman FS. Drivers of County Engagement in Criminal Justice-Behavioral Health Initiatives. Psychiatr Serv. 2021 Oct 13:appips202100485. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.202100485. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34644126.

Lin S, Baumann K, Zhou C, Zhou W, Cuellar A.E., Xue H, Trends in use and expenditures for brand-name statins following introduction of generic statins in the United States, 2002-2018 AMA Netw Open. 2021 Nov 1;4(11):e2135371. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.35371.

Lin SY, Cheng X, Rossheim ME, Gress D, Cuellar AE, Cheskin L, Xue H. Associations between use of specific social media sites and electronic cigarette use among college students. J Am Coll Health. 2021 Sep 1:1-8. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1965149.

Johnson, J. E., Viglione, J., Ramezani, N., Cuellar, A. E., Hailemariam, J., Rosen, R., Breno, A., & Taxman, F. (in press).  Protocol for a quasi-experimental, 950 county study examining implementation outcomes and mechanisms of Stepping Up, a national policy effort to improve mental health and substance use services for justice-involved individuals. Implementation Science. 2021: 16, 31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-021-01095-2

Jacob V, Chattopadhyay SK, Reynolds JA, Hopkins DP, Morgan JA, et al. Economics of interventions to increase active travel to school: a Community Guide systematic review  American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2021;60(1):e27−40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2020.08.002

Wendelboe AM, Kim SE, Kinney S, Cuellar AE, Salinas L, Chou AF. Cost-Benefit Analysis of Allowing Additional Time in Cleaning Hospital Contact Precautions Rooms. Hosp Top. 2021 Jan 16:1-10. doi: 10.1080/00185868.2021.1873083. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33459211.

Niloofar Ramezani, Alex Breno, Jill Viglione, Benjamin Mackey, Alison Cuellar, April Chase, Jennifer Johnson, Faye Taxman, 2020. Multilevel Matching in Natural Experimental Studies: Application to Stepping Up Counties In JSM Proceedings, Survey Research Methods Section, New Advances in Modeling Survey Data Session. Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association Journal.

Tarang Parekh, Alison E. Cuellar, Marissa Farina-Morse, Nancy Spencer, Rebecca E. Sutter, "Where It Really Counts:  Feasibility and Potential Effectiveness of The Peer Engaged Empowered Recovery (PEER) Program for Substance Dependent Jail Inmates" Journal of Addictions Nursing, accepted

Alison Cuellar and William Hazel, Transforming Behavioral Health Care in Virginia, Psychiatric Services, published online March 18, 2021; https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202000466

Rebecca Sutter, Alison E. Cuellar, Megan Harvey, Y. Alicia Hong, “Academic nurse-managed community clinics transitioned to telehealth: a case study of rapid response to COVID-19” JMIR Nursing  2020; 3(1):34521. DOI: 10.2196/24521

Alison Cuellar, Tami Mark, Steven Sharfstein, and Hayden Huskamp, “How to Mitigate the Mental Health Care Consequences of the COVID-19 Financial Crisis,” Psychiatric Services, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202000329

TG Soylu, AE Cuellar, DG Goldberg, AJ Kuzel, Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act: A Qualitative Study in Sixteen Small to Medium-Sized Primary Care Practices in Virginia, Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, November 2020, 33 (6) 942-952; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2020.06.200142  

TG Soylu, AE Cuellar, DG Goldberg, AJ Kuzel, "Readiness and Implementation of Quality Improvement Strategies Among Small and Medium-Sized Primary Care Practices: An Observational Study" Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2020 Oct;35(10):2882-2888. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-05978-w.

Kicinger IM, Cuellar A, Helmchen LA, Gimm G, Want J, Kells BJ, Nichols LM. Quality of Care and Preventive Screening Use in the CareFirst Patient-Centered Medical Home Program. Journal of Healthcare Quality. 2019 Jan 3. doi: 10.1097/JHQ.0000000000000169

Alison Cuellar, Len Nichols, Alex Krist and Anthony Kuzel. “Effect of Practice Ownership on Work Environment, Learning Culture, Psychological Safety, and Burnout” Annals of Family Medicine 2018, 16, Supplement 1

Alison Cuellar, Anthony T. LoSasso, Mona Shah, Alicia Atwood,and Tanya R. Lewis-Walls “Wellness Programs with Financial Incentives Through a Disparities Lens” American Journal of Health Promotion, 2018 Feb;32(2):355-358. doi: 10.1177/0890117117743362

Book Chapters

Cuellar, A.E., & Cheema, J. (2014). Health Care Reform in the United States. In G. Bruinsma & D. Weisburd (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Friedland, R.B., Evans, A. (1996). People with Disabilities: Access to Health Care and Related Benefits. In J. Mashaw, V. Reno, R. Burkhauser, & M. Berkowitz (Eds.), Disability, Work and Cash Benefits.

Grants

Principal Investigator

"The Impact of Direct-to-Consumer, Video Telemedicine," AHRQ 1R01HS025163. April 2017-March 2020. 

"Differential Effects of Prevention Efforts, Behavioral Interventions, and Alternative Sanctions on Juvenile Justice Youth Outcomes," Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. October 2014-September 2016.

"The Impact of a Customized Price Transparency Tool on Consumer Behavior," Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Co-Principal Investigator Mandic, P.K. December 2013-November 2015.

"Evaluation of the Medicare Medicaid Financial Alignment Demonstration," Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services. November 2013-September 2016.

"The Impact of Wellness Programs and Incentives on Preventive Services," NICHD 1R01HD075118-01. September 2012-June 2016.

Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. March 2011-December 2013.

"Correctional Health Information Sharing Policies and Practices Project," US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. Co-Principal Investigator Taxman, F. October 2009-September 2010. 

"Financing and Systems Change in Models for Change: Systems Reform in Juvenile Justice," John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. August 2009-September 2011.

"Interactions Among Schools, Juvenile Justice and DMC," John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. October 2008-September 2009.

"Child Mental Health Systems and Juvenile Justice Outcomes," NIMH K01 MH067086-01. April 2003-December 2008.

"Physician and Hospital Determinants of Inpatient Quality and Patient Safety," Columbia Alliance for Healthcare Management. 2004.

"How Do Youth with Emotional Disorders Fare in the Juvenile Justice System?" Calderone Researcher Prize for Junior Faculty, Columbia University. 2004.

"Child Mental Health Systems and Juvenile Justice Outcomes," Columbia Institute for Child and Family Policy Small Grants Program. April 2002-February 2003.

Co-Investigator

"Restoring Primary Care in Virginia: PCOR Learning as a Pathway to Value," AHRQ. Kuzel, PI. June 2015-June 2018.

"Evaluation of the CareFirst Patient-Centered Medical Home Program," CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield. Nichols, PI. January 2013-December 2017.

Subcontract Principal Investigator, "Children's Mental Health Initiative (CMHI)," SAMHSA RFTOP 280-13-0407. Moran, Westat, PI. December 2013-November 2015.

"Evaluation of the Multi-site Demonstration Field Experiment: What Works in Reentry Research," U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. Bloom (PI), January 2011-December 2014.

"Information Sharing Policies and Practices for Correctional Health," US Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance. Taxman (PI). October 2009-September 2010.

"Models for Change: Systems Reform in Juvenile Justice," John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. August 2007-December 2007.

"Hospital and Physician Strategic Integration," National Institute of Health Care Management. Gertler, Co-Investigator. 

Project Director. "Criminal Records of a Sample of Persons Served by the Public Mental Health System," California Policy Research Center. April 2002-May 2003.

"Juvenile Crime and the Availability of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment," Cornwall Center Faculty Award for Scholarly Research. Markowitz, PI. April 2002-December 2002.

"Variation by Gender and Ethnicity in the Effect of Alternative Work Arrangements on the Mental Health of California Workers," Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco. Snowden, PI. July 2001-December 2001.

Honors and Awards

• Calderone Researcher Prize for Junior Faculty, 2005, Columbia University

Affiliations

• Member

   
  American Society of Health Economists
• Member

   
  International Health Economics Association
• Member

   
  AcademyHealth

Degrees

• PhD, Health Services and Policy Analysis, Economics Concentration, University of California, Berkeley
• MBA, University of Texas at Austin
• BA with Highest Honors, University of Texas at Austin