Publications
“Anti-Maintenance of Certification Laws and Older Physician Supply” with Shishir Shakya, Edward Timmons, Manu Mathew, Economics Letters, 2024 Download
“Impact of Physician Assistant Scope of Practice Laws on Interstate Mobility and Retentions” with Shishir Shakya, Journal of Labor Research, 2025 Download
Working Papers
Job Market Paper: The Impact of Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) on Bloodborne Diseases and Opioid Mortality: Evidence from States’ Legalization of SSPs between 2008-2023 (with Andrew Hussey)
"The United States has experienced a dramatic increase in drug-related deaths since 2015, along with rising hepatitis C (HCV) infections linked to injection drug use. Meanwhile, HIV transmission among people who inject drugs (PWID) has remained stable over the years. To address these issues, several states have legalized Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) as a harm reduction strategy, but causal evidence on their effectiveness remains limited. This study evaluates the impact of the legalization of SSPs on opioid-related mortality, illicit drug overdose deaths, and HIV and HCV diagnoses using state-level data from 2008 to 2023. Applying an imputation-based staggered difference-in-differences design and dynamic event study methods, we find that SSPs reduce opioid and illicit opioid-related deaths by about 3 per 100,000 adults, with stronger effects among men and African American populations. The estimates for HCV and HIV diagnoses do not show a decline in the main analysis; however, alternative specifications suggest a decrease in HIV diagnoses among PWID. Robustness checks confirm these findings. Evidence indicates that increased naloxone distribution and improved access to substance use disorder treatment for PWID are likely mechanisms behind the mortality reductions. The findings of the study suggest that the legalization of SSPs can be an effective tool for states to reduce overdose mortality and prevent HIV transmission amidst the opioid crisis.”
Impact of Physician Assistant Scope-of-Practice Laws on Access to Healthcare in the US (with Han Yu )
"The healthcare system in the United States grapples with a significant challenge concerning access to healthcare due to shortages of primary care providers. In response, several states have expanded the Scope of Practice (SOP) laws for physician assistants (PAs), granting these practitioners full autonomy in medical practice. To assess whether these expansions effectively improve healthcare accessibility, we investigate the causal impact of PA SOP expansions on this critical outcome. Employing an imputation-based Difference-in-Difference approach, we focus on three dimensions of healthcare accessibility, encompassing the number of routine checkups, access to personal healthcare providers, and financial barriers to healthcare. By leveraging the staggered timings of state-level expansions and nationally representative individual-level survey data spanning from 2015 to 2023, we find an increase in the proportion of people who have done routine health checkups.”
More Access, Same Workforce: Evidence from the Physical Therapy Compact (with Shishir Shakya)
"We evaluate the impact of the Physical Therapy compact, an interstate agreement designed to reduce licensure barriers and enhance workforce mobility for physical therapists. We leverage states’ staggered adoption of the compact and individual-level geo-coded data on physical therapist practice locations from 2013 to 2025. We find that the compact does not significantly affect state-level aggregates or individual decisions related to entry, exit, or changes in practice location, whether across or within states. However, it improves access, adding nearly two physical therapists per 10,000 population, adjusted for commuting duration, particularly in non-rural areas. Our findings suggest that the compact enhances service reach without expanding the workforce, while also underscoring the need for complementary policies to address persistent rural access gaps.”
Workplace Violence Prevention Laws in Healthcare Facilities: Impact on Violence Against Healthcare Workers, Physician Supply, and Nurse Migration
Research in Progress
“New Doctors at Your Door: Can Unmatched Medical Graduates Improve Access to Healthcare in Missouri?”
“Easing Housing Burdens for Home-Based Childcare Providers: A Path to Affordable Childcare Services”
Selected Workshop Presentations
“Impact of Physician Assistant Scope of Practice Laws on Interstate Mobility and Retentions” (with Shishir Shakya), Institute for Human Studies (George Mason University) and Knee Regulatory Center, (West Virginia University), Morgantown, May 2024
“More Access, Same Workforce: Evidence from the Physical Therapy Compact” (with Shishir Shakya), Institute for Human Studies (George Mason University) and Knee Regulatory Center, (West Virginia University), Seattle, Aug 2025
“The Impact of Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) on Bloodborne Diseases and Opioid Mortality: Evidence from States’ Implementation of SSPs between 2008-2023” (with Andrew Hussey), CATO Institute, Washington, DC, Oct 2025, forthcoming
Conference Presentations
“Impact of Physician Assistant Scope-of-Practice Laws on Access to Healthcare in the US” (with Han Yu), 94th SEA, Washington, DC, Nov 2024
“Workplace Violence Prevention Laws in Healthcare Facilities: Impact on Violence Against Healthcare Workers, Physician Supply, and Nurse Migration”, 14th ASHEcon Conference, Nashville, TN, June 2025
“The Impact of Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) on Bloodborne Diseases and Opioid Mortality: Evidence from States’ Implementation of SSPs between 2008-2023” (with Andrew Hussey), 95th SEA Annual Conference, Tampa, FL, Nov 2025, forthcoming
Referee and Reviewer
Reviewed 13 conference papers for the 18th South Asian Economics Students’ Meet (Kathmandu, Nepal) 2020 and 2023
Research Work Before Joining the PhD Program
“Status of Nepali Migrant Workers in the Destination Countries: Prospects of Earnings and Working Environment” Bikas Udhyami 2019 Download
“Exploring the Avenues for Plastic Waste Management”, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 2020 Download
“Behavioral Insights and Impact Study on Pocket Park” , United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 2021 Download