Biography

Dr Sudha Xirasagar, Professor in the Department of Health Services Policy and Management, serves as the Graduate Director and PhD Program Director. She received her PhD in health services policy and management from the University of South Carolina and her medical degree from Bangalore Medical College, India.
Key areas of research: Primary and secondary data-based research on colorectal cancer screening and prevention, acute colorectal surgical disease care and outcomes, and, stroke care and outcomes, with an emphasis on racial health disparities and uninsurance-driven disparities. Use of machine learning approaches in the above areas is a developing area of interest. Another ongoing area of interest is clinical epidemiologic research, targeting health systems strengthening, healthcare costs for specific conditions, care utilization patterns, provider behavior, and long-term sequelae of various non-communicable conditions. These studies have mostly used Taiwan’s National Health Insurance data and conducted in collaboration with researchers from Taiwan. Recently, she has initiated a new area of research, community-based interventions involving outreach strategies to increase primary care access for minority and rural populations. Dr Xirasagar has served as the principal investigator of federal grants from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drugs Administration, the pharmaceutical industry, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, and other organizations. She has published over 125 peer reviewed research articles in public health, medicine, and health policy journals.
Teaching: Dr Xirasagar teaches doctoral courses in health systems design and performance, research grant writing, and a graduate course on international health.