Dr. Lynch is a health economist whose research interests focus on the organization and financing of care for people with mental health and substance abuse problems. She joined the CHR as an investigator in July 1996. Dr. Lynch has been the principal investigator and co-investigator of several grants funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

One of Dr. Lynch’s current research projects compares patterns of enrollment, service use, and cost for Medicaid and privately enrolled HMO members with substance abuse problems. Dr. Lynch is particularly interested in examining the economic impact of children’s mental health problems, including examining the cost-effectiveness of alternative treatments for these disorders.

Dr. Lynch received her Ph.D. in health economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health in 1995. She was the recipient of a full fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health. From 1989 to 1995 she was a researcher at the Center for the Organization and Financing of Care for the Severely Mentally Ill at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Lynch also holds a master of science in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

E-mail: Frances.Lynch@kpchr.org