Ross Administration Building
Monaca, PA 15061
Biography
Nima Khodakarami, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in Health Policy and Administration and an affiliated faculty at the Center for Applied Studies in health economics at the Penn State College of Medicine.
He teaches courses on data and healthcare decisions, finance, and insurance, as well as required economics courses for all students. In the required economic courses, he focuses on a teaching style that is connected to students’ lives and how economics affects our culture, finances, and well-being.
In his health care classes, students can expect to learn and understand the factors involved in health-related decisions and to become astute consumers of health data that informs policy decisions. Students will learn about health insurance, and how to examine finance, budgeting, and strategic planning in health care organizations. They will be introduced to the methods and tools of economic analysis applying it to various health related areas such as the behavior of individual households and firms and how that behavior is influenced by government.
Dr. Khodakarami incorporates case studies to ensure students learn to apply course concepts to real-life scenarios, and develop essential skills of critical thinking, data analysis, and applied research that addresses real-world challenges. He has expertise in working with large administrative claims data and supports students in participating in his ongoing research.
Dr. Khodakarami’s classes prepare students for careers in the healthcare industry and social science related careers including:
- Actuarial analyst
- Business analyst (healthcare focus)
- Medicaid/Medicare specialist
- Finance
- Health economist
- Policy analyst
- Health benefits analyst
- Medical claims examiner
- Insurance compliance analyst
- Data analyst
- Government affairs associate
- Program manager
- Public health program coordinator
- Research scientist
- Health services researcher
Research Interests
- The outcome of health policy and reform (e.g., the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion, Medicaid unwinding)
- Changes in health insurance and hospitalization outcomes
- Access to care and health
- Rural health
Publications
Rural-Urban differences in prevalence, presentation, and outcomes for pediatric asthma, 2016-2021, Hospital Pediatrics - July 7, 2026
Collaborators: Hyejin Park, Corresponding Author; Marvellous Akinlotan, Co-Author; Gogoal Falia, Student Author; Alva Ferdinand, Co-Author
Changes in Emergency Department Payer Mix Among Children Following Medicaid Unwinding in Texas., Health Services Research - February, 2026
Collaborators: Theodoros Giannouchos, Corresponding Author; Daniel Marthey, Co-Author; Laura Dague, Co-Author; Benjamin Ukert, Co-Author
Medicaid Unwinding Increased Uninsured Emergency Department Visits in California, Health Affairs Scholar - January, 2026
Collaborators: Theodoros Giannouchos , Co-Author; Daniel Marthey, Co-Author; Benjamin Ukert , Co-Author; Joel Segel , Co-Author; Laura Dague, Co-Author
Response to Letter on Exploring Neighborhood Opportunity as a Factor in Pediatric Asthma Visits to the Emergency Department, Public Health Reports - January, 2026
Collaborators: Marvellous Akinlotan, Co-Author; Alva Ferdinand, Co-Author
Exploring Neighborhood Opportunity as a Factor in Pediatric Asthma Visits to the Emergency Department, Public Health Reports - November, 2025
Collaborators: Marvellous Akinlotan, Co-Author; Alva Ferdinand, Co-Author
Effects of Affordable Care Act on Uninsured Hospitalization: Evidence from Texas, Health Services Research - August, 2024
Collaborator: Benjamin Ukert, Co-Author
Travel for Medical or Dental Care by Race/Ethnicity and Rurality in the U.S.: Findings from the 2001, 2009 and 2017 National Household Travel Surveys, Preventive Medicine Reports - October, 2023
Collaborators: Marvellous Akinlotan, Primary Author; Kristin Primm, Co-Author; Alva Ferdinand, Co-Author; Jane Bolin, Co-Author
Factors Associated with Hospitalizations for Co-Occurring HIV and Opioid-Related Diagnoses: An Examination of the National Inpatient Sample, 2009-2017, Preventive Medicine Report - August, 2023
Collaborators: Marvellous Akinlotan, Co-Author; Ferdinand Alva, Co-Author; Callaghan Timothy, Co-Author; Kristin Primm, Co-Author; Jane Bolin, Co-Author
Fitting In as An Outsider: A Resource Dependence Theory Approach to Outside Boards, Journal of Health Organization and Management - March, 2022
Collaborator: Desmond Ng, Primary Author
Who Receives Influenza Vaccinations at the Pharmacy? An Analysis of the Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Vaccine - May, 2021
Collaborators: Eniola Olatunji, Corresponding Author; Ayobami Ogunsola, Co-Author; Timothy Callaghan, Co-Author
A Framework for Community Capacity Building: The Role of Assessment and Evaluation, Stylus Publishing, LLC - June, 2020
Collaborators: Elizabeth Roumell, Author; Corina Todoran, Co-Author
Drivers Of Employee Engagement: Differences by Work Area and Gender, Industrial and Commercial Training - March, 2020
Collaborator: Khalil Dirani, Co-Author
Treatment of Patients with Low Back Pain: A Comparison of Physical Therapy and Chiropractic Manipulation., Healthcare - February, 2020
Employee Engagement: Finding A Generally Accepted Measurement Scale, Industrial and Commercial Training - August, 2018
Collaborators: Khalil Dirani, Co-Author; Fatemeh Rezaei, Co-Author
The Value Chain: A Study of The Coffee Industry, LexisNexis - December, 2016
Collaborators: William Byrnes, Co-Author; Carlos Navaro, Co-Author
Education
BEng in Agricultural Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Iran
MBA in Strategic Management, Univeristi Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
M.S. in Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University, Texas
Ph.D. in Health Services Research, Texas A&M University, Texas
Papers and Presentations
November 1, 2026 - November 4, 2026
Oral Presentations
Expansion of Medicaid Managed Care and Reduced Inpatient Utilization among Adults
American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo
San Antonio, TX
June 7, 2026 - June 10, 2026
Oral Presentations
Medicaid Managed Care and Decreased Inpatient Discharges from Acute Care Units: Evidence from Texas.
Annual Conference of the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon)
Minneapolis, MN
May 30, 2026 - June 2, 2026
Oral Presentations
Medicaid Mental and Behavioral Health Hospitalizations Following the American Rescue Plan Act: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Seattle, WA
May 30, 2026 - June 2, 2026
Posters
Medicaid Managed Care and Decreased Inpatient Discharges from Acute Care Units: Evidence from Texas.
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Seattle, WA
May 30, 2026 - June 2, 2026
Posters
Rural-Urban Differences Among Older Adults: Evidence from 2019-2023
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Seattle, WA
May 30, 2026 - June 2, 2026
Posters
Rural–Urban Differences in Medicare Inpatient Discharges for Chronic Conditions, 2019-2023
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Seattle, WA
May 19, 2026 - May 22, 2026
Posters
Medicaid Mental and Behavioral Health Hospitalizations Following ARPA
National Rural Health Association’s Annual Rural Health Conference (NRHA)
San Diego, CA
May 19, 2026 - May 22, 2026
Posters
Rural-Urban Differences among Older Adults: Evidence From 2019-2023
National Rural Health Association’s Annual Rural Health Conference (NRHA)
San Diego, CA
May 19, 2026 - May 22, 2026
Posters
Rural–Urban Differences in Medicare Inpatient Discharges for Behavioral Health Conditions, 2019-2023
National Rural Health Association’s Annual Rural Health Conference (NRHA)
San Diego, CA
November 2, 2025 - November 5, 2025
Oral Presentations
Changes in Mental Health Emergency Department Visits by Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from New York
American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo
November 2, 2025 - November 5, 2025
Oral Presentations
National Trends in Mental and Behavioral Health Hospitalization in the United States Between 2017–2022.
American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo
Washington, DC
November 2, 2025 - November 5, 2025
Oral Presentations
Rural–Urban Differences in Mental and Behavioral Health Hospitalization in the United States Between 2017–2022
American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo
Washington, DC
June 22, 2025 - June 25, 2025
Oral Presentations
Does Medicaid Managed Care Increase Outpatient Utilization?
Annual Conference of the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon)
Nashville
June 7, 2025 - June 10, 2025
Posters
Does Medicaid Managed Care Increase Outpatient Utilization?
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Minnesota
April 21, 2025
Invited Talk
Rural Hospital Closures in Texas
Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
April 3, 2025
Invited Talk
The effect of rural hospital closures on nearby hospitals: Evidence from Texas
UNC Rural Health Research Program
October 27, 2024 - October 30, 2024
Oral Presentations
Emergency Department Visits among Patients with Poor Social Determinants of Health in Medicaid Expansion States
American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo
Minneapolis, MN
June, 2024 - July, 2024
Posters
Changes in Emergency Department Use Among Adults in Socially Deprived Counties the Effect of Medicaid Expansion
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Baltimore, MD
June, 2024 - July, 2024
Posters
The Use of Contraception Post-Roe Evidence from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2022, 2016-2019
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Baltimore, MD
June 29, 2024 - July 2, 2024
Oral Presentations
National Trends in the Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations for Pediatric Asthma, 2016-2019
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Baltimore, MD
June 16, 2024 - June 19, 2024
Oral Presentations
Children from Neighborhoods with Low Opportunities Are More Likely to Visit Emergency Departments for Asthma
Annual Conference of the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon)
San Diego, CA
November 12, 2023 - November 15, 2023
Oral Presentations
Risk Factors Associated with Repeat Pediatric Asthma Visits to Emergency Departments
American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo
Atlanta, GA
November 12, 2023 - November 15, 2023
Oral Presentations
The Impact of Neighborhood Factors on Pediatric Ed Visits for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions
American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo
Atlanta, GA
November 12, 2023 - November 15, 2023
Posters
Predictors of Pediatric Emergency Department Visits for the Acute Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions
American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo
Atlanta, GA
November 6, 2023
Invited Talk
The Relationship Between a Child's Neighborhood Opportunity and the Risk of Emergency Department Visits for Asthma
Lunch Bag Faculty Research Talks
Monaca, PA
June, 2023 - July, 2023
Posters
Risk Factors Associated with Repeat Pediatric Asthma Visits to Emergency Departments
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Seattle, WA
June, 2023 - July, 2023
Posters
Rural-Urban Trends in Emergency Department Visits for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions: Evidence from 11 US States, 2016-2019
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Seattle, WA
June 24, 2023 - July 27, 2023
Oral Presentations
The Impact of Neighborhood Factors on Pediatric Ed Visits for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Seattle, WA
June 24, 2023 - July 27, 2023
Posters
Predictors of Pediatric Emergency Department Visits for the Acute Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Seattle, WA
June 24, 2023 - June 27, 2022
Posters
Rural-Urban Differences in Travel Burdens for Medical and Dental Care, 2001-2017: Evidence from the National Household Travel Surveys
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Washington, DC
May 7, 2023 - May 10, 2023
Posters
Predictors of Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) Visits for the Acute Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSC)
The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR)
Boston, MA
May 7, 2023 - May 10, 2023
Posters
Risk Factors Associated with Repeat Pediatric Asthma Visits to Emergency Departments
The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR)
Boston, MA
May 7, 2023 - May 10, 2023
Posters
The Impact of Neighborhood Factors on Pediatric Ed Visits for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions
The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR)
Boston, MA
June 4, 2022 - June 7, 2022
Posters
Understanding Reluctance to Vaccination Against COVID-19 in the United States: A Systematic Revie
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Washington, DC
May 10, 2022 - May 13, 2022
Oral Presentations
Rural-Urban Differences in Travel Burdens for Medical and Dental Care, 2001-2017: Evidence from the National Household Travel Surveys
National Rural Health Association’s Annual Rural Health Conference (NRHA)
Albuquerque, NM, US
April 20, 2022
Posters
The impact of changes in graduated driver's license programs on car crash fatalities among teen drivers and passengers at night-time
PSU-Beaver 21st Annual Undergraduate Exhibition
Monaca, PA, U.S.
February 24, 2022
Invited Talk
The ACA marketplace's impact on uninsured discharges in Texas: An analysis of the state inpatient databases
Health Services Research Colloquium
University Park, PA
October 24, 2021
Posters
Factors Associated with Hospitalizations for Co-Occurring HIV and Opioid-Related Diagnoses: An Examination of the National Inpatient Sample, 2009-2017
American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo
Virtual
June 14, 2021 - June 17, 2021
Posters
Factors Associated with Hospitalizations for Co-Occurring HIV and Opioid-Related Diagnoses: An Examination of the National Inpatient Sample, 2009-2017
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
December 8, 2020
Posters
Factors associated with pharmacy as the location of flu vaccination. Analysis of Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Survey
23rd Annual Student Research Week Symposium
College Station, TX
October 24, 2020 - October 28, 2020
Oral Presentations
Rural-Urban Differences in Travel Burdens for Medical and Dental Care: Analysis of the 2017 National Household Travel Survey
American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo
Presented Virtually
July, 2020 - August, 2020
Posters
Urban-Rural Trends in HIV and Opioid Related Mortality in the United States, 2000-2017
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Presented virtually
July 28, 2020 - August 6, 2020
Posters
Analyzing Telehealth Reimbursement Laws across the United States
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Presented Virtually
July 28, 2020 - August 6, 2020
Posters
Rural-Urban Differences in Travel Burdens for Medical and Dental Care: Analysis of the 2017 National Household Travel Survey
AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Virtual
June 17, 2020 - June 19, 2020
Oral Presentations
Opioid Use Disorder and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-Related Mortality: Evidence from the CDC WONDER Database
National Rural Health Association’s Annual Rural Health Conference (NRHA)
Presented virtually
June 16, 2020 - June 19, 2020
Oral Presentations
Trends in Hospitalization for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Opioid Use Disorders Along the Urban-Rural Continuum.
National Rural Health Association’s Annual Rural Health Conference (NRHA)
Virtual
June 7, 2020 - June 9, 2020
Posters
Association of Socio-demographics with out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOP) and Underinsurance in Skin Cancer Survivors
Annual Conference of the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon)
Presented Virtually
June 7, 2020 - June 9, 2020
Posters
The New Update on Managed Care Plans Performance: An Analysis of the Literature 2008-2019
Annual Conference of the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon)
Presented virtually
May 18, 2020 - May 20, 2020
Posters
Economic Evaluation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor - Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (Egfr-Tki) Drugs in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (Nsclc) Treatment: A Systematic Review of Recent Studies
The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR)
Presented Virtually
May 18, 2020 - May 20, 2020
Posters
Predictors of Failure-To-Rescue for Acute Myocardial Infarction
The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR)
Presented virtually
April 27, 2020 - April 28, 2020
Posters
Mortality risk among cancer patients in urban-rural and border-non-border counties
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
March 6, 2020
Posters
Diseases with the highest death rate after a complication in surgery: A four-year analysis of Texas hospital inpatient discharge data
Houston Global Health Collaborative Conference
May 18, 2019 - May 22, 2019
Posters
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Physical Therapy against Chiropractic for Patients with Acute Low Back Pain in the US.
The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR)
New Orleans, LA
February 14, 2018 - February 17, 2018
Posters
Making prisoner dilemma work for HRD: A cooperation tool in scenario planning
Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD)
Atlanta, GA
June 12, 2017 - June 14, 2017
Posters
An alternative for measuring employee engagement: Multi attribute decision making method
University Forum for Human Resource Development (UFHRD)
Lisbon, Portugal
March 2, 2017 - March 4, 2017
Posters
Is employee engagement measurable?
Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD)
San Antonio, TX
April 15, 2016
Posters
A Translog Cost Function Analysis of Refrigerated Warehouse Industry
Symposium for Agricultural and Applied Economics Research (SAAER)
College Station, TX