She is an applied microeconomist specializing in health economics and public policy. Her core interests lie in exploring the connections between health care policies and both health and economic outcomes. The majority of her work leverages state-level variation in public health insurance policies. For example, recent research has explored the effects of optional benefits in Medicaid on adult health and labor market outcomes. Ongoing work is examining whether adult Medicaid benefits affect outcomes among children of adult enrollees. Dr. Lipton's research has been published in outlets such as Journal of Health Economics, Health Affairs, and Social Science and Medicine. Prior to joining San Diego State University, Dr. Lipton spent four years in Washington DC conducting research for the federal government. She received her PhD in economics from Northwestern University.