Paul Shafer
Profiles

Paul Shafer, PhD

Associate Professor, Health Law, Policy & Management - Boston University School of Public Health

(617) 358-2961
pshafer@bu.edu
Talbot
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Biography

Dr. Shafer is an associate professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management and co-director of the Boston University Medicaid Policy Lab. His research focuses on how health insurance and social safety net policies affect health, well-being, and equity. Do they work and are the benefits distributed equitably? If they don't work or have unintended consequences, why and how can we fix them? He is also an investigator with the Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center at the VA Boston Healthcare System and research fellow with the Office of Personnel Management.

He previously served as a research economist at RTI International and junior fellow at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. He is a former Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar, which amplified his commitment to policy-engaged scholarship and research translation. He holds a PhD in health policy and management with a concentration in health economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MA in applied economics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a BA in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Education

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, PhD
  • University of North Carolina at Greensboro, MA

Websites

Classes Taught

  • SPHPM807
  • SPHPM822
  • SPHPM844

Publications

  • Published on 5/1/2025

    Aswani MS, Do LA, Shafer PR. Use Of Social Determinants Of Health Z Codes Was Sparse, 2016-22. Health Aff (Millwood). 2025 May; 44(5):631-635. PMID: 40324133.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 4/9/2025

    Skinner A, McCann NC, Howe CJ, Leifheit KM, Dean LT, Diaz Y, Ettman CK, Raifman J, Shafer PR. Association between pre-pandemic wealth and material hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic: how racial and ethnic wealth inequities shape household vulnerability to national crises. Health Aff Sch. 2025 May; 3(5):qxaf078. PMID: 40322319.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 4/4/2025

    Lim K, Goutos D, Aswani M, Benitez J, Thompson K, Shafer PR. Racial, ethnic, and rural disparities in access to Medicaid offices. Health Aff Sch. 2025 May; 3(5):qxaf072. PMID: 40330277.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/25/2025

    Ogden SN, Shafer PR, Dichter ME, Clark JA, Kempf MC, Jones DL, Wingood GM, Chandran A, Cohen MH, Jain JP, Goparaju L, Wilson TE, Adedimeji A, Haley DF. Partner Violence and Substance-Related Service Use: Differences by HIV Status Among Women. Am J Prev Med. 2025 Mar 25. PMID: 40147505.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/20/2025

    Shafer PR. "When There Are Enough Cracks, Everyone Steps on Them": Administrative Burdens in the US Health Care System. Health Serv Res. 2025 Mar 20; e14602. PMID: 40110690.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/7/2025

    Dorneo A, Ma Y, Garrido MM, Pizer SD, Shafer PR, Tsai TC, Frakt AB, Figueroa JF. Characteristics and Benefit Design of Veteran Medicare Advantage Affinity Plans. JAMA Health Forum. 2025 Mar 07; 6(3):e250159. PMID: 40152874.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/3/2025

    Shafer PR. A Higher Minimum Wage Can Help Keep Families Fed. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Mar 03; 8(3):e252052. PMID: 40146112.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 1/27/2025

    Duffy EW, Poole MK, Gonzalez D, Petimar J, Kinsey EW, Shafer PR, Baldwin-SoRelle C, Austin AE. Beyond Food Assistance: A Scoping Review Examining Associations of Nonfood Social Safety Net Programs in the United States With Food Insecurity and Nutrition Outcomes. Nutr Rev. 2025 Jan 27. PMID: 39868761.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 1/3/2025

    Aswani MS, Shafer PR. Medicaid Personal Needs Allowances-Overdue for Adjustment. JAMA Health Forum. 2025 Jan 03; 6(1):e244457. PMID: 39752170.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 1/2/2025

    Podolsky MI, Raquib R, Shafer PR, Hempstead K, Ellis RP, Stokes AC. Factors Associated With Semaglutide Initiation Among Adults With Obesity. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Jan 02; 8(1):e2455222. PMID: 39836425.

     Read At: PubMed

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