MPH’s Melinda Buntin brings Washington expertise to Vanderbilt’s Department of Health Policy
Today health care accounts for nearly 20 percent of the total U.S. gross domestic product—about $3 trillion of economic activity annually. It’s also the largest item in the federal budget, making up 28 percent of all government spending. With a greater focus on how the health care system functions, particularly in the wake of the 2009 Affordable Care Act, Vanderbilt has adjusted its own research and teaching programs surrounding public health and health policy. A major change came in 2013, when Vanderbilt created the Department of Health Policy, which now houses the MPH program and is chaired by Melinda Buntin, professor of health policy, who previously served as deputy assistant director for health at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).