Sara S. Bachman, PhD
Dean
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6214
- office: 215.898.5512
- fax: 215.573.2099
Research Interests
Health and social policy
Social work leadership and education
Health equity
Financing for vulnerable populations including children, youth and adults with complex health and social need conditions
Sara S. Bachman, PhD is Dean of the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) at the University of Pennsylvania, where she leads the school community in its passionate pursuit of social justice. Under her direction, the School of Social Policy & Practice offers top-ranked degree programs, certificates, and dual degrees anchored by rigorous academics and world-class faculty. SP2’s transformative approach, grounded in impactful research, scholarship and community engagement, fosters the development of impactful social change agents. At Penn, Dr. Bachman also serves on the Governing Board of the Leonard Davis Institute; the Advisory Board of the Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy; and as Senior Fellow of the Center for Public Health Initiatives. Dr. Bachman’s social policy and practice expertise focuses on health care financing and organization innovation, especially with respect to Medicaid and alternative payment strategies. She has over twenty years’ experience with health policy research and program evaluation in the areas of health care finance, health reform, social work, health equity, and state health policy for individuals with disabilities or complex health and social conditions, including children and youth with special health care needs. She has directed multiple associated national efforts, including the Catalyst Center, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) national center on financing health care for children and youth with special health care needs; the HRSA Health Care Delivery System Innovations for Children with Medical Complexity; and a national HRSA initiative to integrate Community Health Workers into Ryan White Care settings, among others. Dr. Bachman currently serves on the national HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau Expert Steering Committee for an Examination of the Six Core Outcomes for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs in the National Survey of Children’s Health; as Policy Practice Competency Chair for the Council of Social Work Education Health Curricular Guide; and on the National Advisory Committee, Children with Medical Complexity Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network. She has been guest editor for special journal issues such as the 2017 Pediatrics supplement focused on value based purchasing for children and youth with special health care needs. Dr. Bachman received a BA in Biology from Bucknell University, a MS in Epidemiology from the University of Massachusetts School of Public Health, and PhD in Health Policy from the Florence Heller School at Brandeis University where she was a Pew Health Policy Fellow.
Selected Publications
Journal Articles
Drainoni, M.L., Baughman, A., Bachman, S.S., Bowers Sword, R., Davoust, M., Fortu, K., Ni, P., Rojo, M.C., Wolfe, H. & Martinez, L.S. (Forthcoming). Integrating Community Health Workers into HIV Care Teams: Impact on HIV Care Outcomes. Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services.
Thomas, M. M. C.*, Mehta, A. J., Murphy, J.S., Childs, E., Sena, B. F., Dimitri,N.*, Dooley, D.P., Kane, J ., Shen, A., Barros, E., Reid, M. and Bachman, S.S. (2020). Associations Between Public Housing Residency and Health Behaviors in a Cross-Sectional Sample of Boston Adults. Housing Policy Debate. 30 (3), 335-347.
Hirschi, M.*, Wangari Walter, A., Wilson, K.*, Jankovsky, K.*, Dworetzky, B., Comeau, M. & Bachman, S.S. (2018). Access to care among children with disabilities enrolled in the MassHealth CommonHealth buy-in program. Journal of Child Health Care. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367493518777310
Marcus, R., deGroot, A., Bachman, S. S., Chisolm, N., Qaudri, Y., Cabral, H., & Rajabiun, S. (2018). Longitudinal determinants of housing stability among people living with HIV/AIDS experiencing homelessness. American Journal of Public Health. 108 (S7): S552-S560.
Bachman, S. S. (2017). Social work and public health: Charting the course for innovation. American Journal of Public Health. 107 (S3): S220.
Bachman, S. S., Wachman, M., Manning, L., Cohen, A.M., Seifert, R.W., Jones, D.K., Fitzgerald, T., Nuzum, R. & Riley, P. (2017). Social work’s role in Medicaid reform: A qualitative study. American Journal of Public Health. 107 (S3): S250-S255.
Louis, C.J., Bachman, S.S., Roby, D.H., Melby, L & Rosenbloom, D.L. (2017). The transformation of community hospitals through the transition to value-based care: Lessons from Massachusetts. The American Journal of Accountable Care. 5(4):26-30.
Bachman, S.S., Comeau, M., & Long, T. (2017). Statement of the Problem: Health reform, value based purchasing, and children and youth with special health care needs. Pediatrics. 139 (Supplement 2): S89-S98.
Ellis, R.P., Bachman, S.S., & Tan, H.R.* (2017). Refining our understanding of value based insurance design and high cost-sharing on children. Pediatrics. 139 (Supplement 2): S136-S144.
Weinstein, Z.M.*, Kim, H.W., Cheng, D.M., Quinn, E., Hui, D., Labelle, C.T., Drainoni, M.L., Bachman, S.S., & Samet, J.H. (2017). Long-term retention in office based Opioid treatment with Buprenorphine. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 74:65-70.
Akobirshoev, I.*, Bowser, D., Parish, S.L., Thomas, C. & Bachman, S.S. (2017). Does parental health insurance mediate the relationship between parental uninsurance and insured children’s health outcomes? Evidence from a U.S. national survey. Health and Social Work. 42(2): e68-e76.
* Denotes student author.
Recent Book Chapter
Bachman, S.S. (2018). Resource Development and Funding. In S. Verbiest (Ed.), Translating Life Course Theory into Practice. Washington, DC: APHA Press.
