Kathryn A. Phillips, PhD
Professor of Health Economics and Health Services Research

• Implications of genetics and individualizing drug therapies ("pharmacogenomics") for clinical practice and health policies
• Utilization of health care services (particularly screening and prescription drugs)
• Preventive health services (specifically cancer screening)
• pharmaceutical issues
• Cost-effectiveness of care
• Impact of managed care on access to care, utilization, and outcomes. Measuring patient preferences using quantitative approaches
• cancer screening
• Women's reproductive health care

Kathryn A. Phillips PhD is Professor of Health Economics and Health Services Research with a primary appointment in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the UCSF School of Pharmacy and secondary appointments in the UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, and the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Phillips received her PhD in Health Services Research and Policy Analysis with a specialty in Health Economics from the University of California-Berkeley, her Masters degree in Public Administration with an emphasis on Policy Analysis from Harvard University, and her BA in Psychology (with high honors) from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Phillips’ research focuses on how health care is organized, delivered, and financed in the US. She focuses on personalized medicine – specifically, targeting health care interventions to patients based on their genetics – and the impact of personalized medicine on clinical care, health economics, and health policy, particularly in the area of cancer screening and treatment.

Dr. Phillips conducts cross-disciplinary research across the basic, clinical, and social sciences and also across academia, industry, and government. She is serving as the Prinicipal Investigator on several NIH and foundation grants, has led or participated in approximately 35 funded research grants, and has had continuous funding from the NIH throughout her career.

Dr Phillips has developed a 4-year, $6 million research program on Personalized Medicine for Colorectal and Breast Cancer (pending at NIH) and has been funded by the Blue Shield of California Foundation to examine the policy challenges for personalized medicine.

Dr. Phillips serves as an adviser to many government and industry groups including the Institutes of Medicine; Food and Drug Administration; Secretary of Health and Human Services Office; Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Cancer Institutes; and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology as well as start-up companies and venture capital firms. Specifically, she serves on a national advisory committee that is reviewing genetic tests (EGAPP - Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention).

Dr. Phillips has published ~ 100 peer-reviewed articles in policy and clinical journals, including JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, and Health Affairs and serves on the editorial board for four journals.