Jie Chen

Dr. Jie Chen is Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of Maryland School of Public Health and Director of the UMD Center on Aging. A health economist and health services researcher, she studies healthy aging, mental health, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and the design of integrated care systems that improve health, care, and quality of life for older adults. Her research increasingly examines how artificial intelligence can strengthen health system performance, support caregivers, and improve aging and dementia care. In 2017, Dr. Chen founded the Hospital And Public health interdisciPlinarY research (HAPPY) Lab, where she leads research on delivery system innovations, including Accountable Care Organizations, health information technology, and collaboration among hospitals, community organizations, and public health systems.

Dr. Chen has more than 25 years of experience working with large secondary datasets and Medicare claims and has authored more than 230 scholarly publications. She has received major research awards from the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. She established a comprehensive data hub containing 100% Medicare claims linked with survey data, geographic measures, provider and community characteristics, and policy indicators. This infrastructure supports research on healthcare utilization, costs, access, care delivery, and outcomes among older adults. Her recent work applies artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to map care journeys, identify gaps in access and coordination, examine system resilience, and inform improvements in Medicare and aging care systems.

As Director of the Center on Aging, Dr. Chen leads interdisciplinary collaborations focused on developing and evaluating innovative approaches to supporting older adults. She also leads SUNSHINE, an NIH-funded national center focused on resilience and aging, supported through the NIA Demography and Economics of Aging Centers Program (P30AG097158). SUNSHINE brings together researchers in health services, economics, medicine, engineering, artificial intelligence, and social and behavioral sciences, along with community organizations and people with lived experience. Through this work, Dr. Chen advances a systems-oriented approach to healthy aging that connects data, technology, healthcare delivery, caregiving, and community resources to develop practical solutions for more coordinated, responsive, and resilient aging systems.