Dr. Yelin received his doctorate from the Department of City and Regional Planning, University of California, Berkeley (1979). His undergraduate degree is from the University of Chicago (Public Affairs, 1972).
Dr. Yelin's research has emphasized the health policy issues related to chronic disease, with a focus on rheumatic diseases, although he has also conducted studies about the impacts of asthma and other pulmonary conditions, cancer, HIV-related conditions, mental illness, and disabilities associated with chronic disease. Dr. Yelin is perhaps best known for his work on employment among persons with arthritis and other chronic diseases. His research has shown that, on the micro level, the way work is structured is a much more important factor and that, on the macro level, the structure of the labor market has a profound impact on work disability rates.
A second major thread to his research concerns studies of the impact of changes in the health care system on persons with arthritis. Briefly, he has shown that the pre-paid group practice form of health maintenance organization provides similar kinds and amounts of care for rheumatoid arthritis and has achieved similar outcomes over as long as eleven years. However, rheumatologists, the subspecialists for arthritis, achieved significantly better outcomes than generalist physicians, and their patients use fewer resources. Recently, however, he has shown that a smaller proportion of persons in managed care environments use the biological response modifiers for rheumatoid arthritis than those in fee-for-service settings.
Dr. Yelin has also been involved in studies documenting the economic and social impacts of chronic disease and disability. He is currently working with colleagues at the CDC to provide contemporary estimates of the economic impacts of arthritis for the nation as a whole.
Dr. Yelin is the Principal Investigator of the UCSF Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Center, funded by NIAMS under the P60 mechanism to improve outcomes in the rheumatic diseases. The Center focuses on systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. The faculty for the Center includes several other faculty from the Division of Rheumatology (Drs. Lindsey Criswell, Laura Julian, Patricia Katz, David Wofsy, and Jinoos Yazdany) and from other UCSF academic units (Drs. Kenneth Covinsky and Stu art Gansky), and UC, Davis (Dr. Michael Seldin).
Finally, Dr. Yelin has recently been named the Director of the Effectiveness Center for the California Health Benefits Review Program (CHBRP). In conjunction with colleagues from the University Office of the President, UC, Berkeley, and UCLA, CHBRP evaluates potential health insurance mandates for the State Legislature.
Dr. Yelin has received numerous awards for his research and, in 1999, was elected to membership in the National Academy of Social Insurance, an organization of the foremost figures in research and policy related to health care, public income programs, and disability. |
