Julie Sakowski, PhD

Julie Sakowski, PhD is an economist with extensive experience designing, conducting and interpreting health economics analyses in both academic and health care delivery system settings. Julie is the Founder and Principal at Rational Answer Consulting, a private consulting firm that specializes in helping clients quantify the effectiveness and efficiency of implementing innovative health technologies, policies and delivery practices in real world settings and developing a robust evidence base to support their use. Previously, she was an Associate Professor (Adjunct) in the UCSF Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Executive Director of the Center for Translational and Policy Research on Personalized Medicine. Prior to joining UCSF, she was a Health Economist at Sutter Health; Assistant Professor of Health Economics, Finance and Policy in the graduate health administration program at Texas Woman’s University; and an analyst for a variety of financial services organizations.

Dr. Sakowski’s work focuses on understanding the factors that influence the value of health technologies, treatment options and health care delivery practices. She is particularly interested in exploring the impact of how innovations are implemented and how costs and utilization decisions are influenced by financing and regulatory policies. Her most recent work focused on the optimal use of medications and the translation of personalized medicine and genomic technologies into health care delivery practice. Earlier work includes assessments of the administrative costs incurred by providers under the current fragmented reimbursement structure; and the value of emerging technologies such as telemedicine, electronic health records, and health information technology applications in ambulatory, inpatient, and home health care settings.