Dr. Lei earned her Ph.D. in Health Services Research & Policy from the University of Rochester. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and a member of the Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation (IHPI). She aims to improve health and wellbeing of frail, older adults through rigorous research that could impact health policy.

Dr. Lei’s research focuses on aging, dementia care, caregivers, and Medicare Advantage. She uses nationally representative survey and claims data and causal inference methodologies to examine factors linked with health care costs and utilization among older adults, particularly those living with dementia. Dr. Lei is currently studying the impact of informal caregiving on health care use of both older adults with dementia and caregivers. Dr. Lei is also interested in the impact of Medicare Advantage on health care among older adults.