About

Sean Y. Sylvia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, where he directs the Digital Health Economics & Policy Lab (DHEPLab). He is also a Faculty Fellow at the Carolina Population Center and the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, a member of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, and an Affiliate of the UNC Gillings Center for Artificial Intelligence and Public Health.

As a health and development economist, his work uses experimental and quasi-experimental methods to study innovative approaches to improve the delivery of health services in underserved communities globally. Working with multidisciplinary teams of collaborators, he conducts large-scale population-based surveys and randomized trials to develop and test new approaches to provide healthcare to the poor and marginalized.

The DHEPLab convenes interdisciplinary teams to weave insights from the behavioral, data, and computer sciences into transformative health policy research suited for the digital age. Current research focuses on evaluating AI-assisted clinical decision support systems, studying value-based payment model implementation, and examining how digital health technologies can improve care quality and reduce health disparities.

His research has appeared in leading public health and economics journals including the BMJ, PLOS Medicine, Health Services Research, the Journal of Health Economics, World Development, and the Economic Journal.

Prior to joining UNC, Dr. Sylvia held positions at Renmin University of China, Stanford University, and the World Bank.