Hefei Wen

I am a behavioral health policy researcher, with expertise in leveraging rigorous quantitative methods to inform policy and practice surrounding substance use and mental health issues in the U.S. I joined Rollins as an associate professor in 2025, after 6 years as an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. 

I have led two NIH-funded R01 projects evaluating the impact of Medicare opioid safety policy on beneficiaries with disabilities and examining the effect of high-deductible health plans on alcohol use disorder treatment.

My collaborative work also investigates the implications of state opioid regulation, marijuana liberalization, Medicaid expansion, behavioral health parity, and paid leave mandate, as well as behavioral health safety-net infrastructure and Medicare value-based payment.

My studies, published in high-impact journals, such as Health Affairs, JAMA Psychiatry, JAMA Internal Medicine, Annuals of Internal Medicine, Journal of Health Economics, and Journal of Public Economics, help set the groundwork for understanding the policy implications for the escalating opioid epidemic and mental health crisis faced by the nation. My work has attracted the attention of national policymakers and major media. My publications have been cited by the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Surgeon General’s reports. They have been covered by media outlets such as The Economist, New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, TIME, NPR, PBS, CNN, BBC, and The Guardian. 

I was awarded the 2018 John D. Thompson Prize by AUPHA at the age of 30, one of the youngest to receive this prestigious award for outstanding junior and mid-career faculty in health policy and services research.