Vivian Ho, Ph.D., is the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics, a professor in the Department of Economics at Rice University, and a professor in the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Ho’s research examines the effects of economic incentives and regulations on the quality and costs of health care. Her research is widely published in economics, medical and health services research journals. Ho’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the American Cancer Society, and Arnold Ventures.

Ho has served on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Center for Health Statistics, as well as on the NIH Health Services, Outcomes and Delivery study section. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2020. Ho is also a founding board member of the American Society for Health Economists and a board member for Community Health Choice. Ho received her A.B. in economics from Harvard University, a graduate diploma in economics from The Australian National University and a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University.

Professor Ho works closely with the Health Policy Forum at the Baker Institute for Public Policy. She is conducting multiple research projects aimed at restraining the high cost of hospital care for patients, including promoting hospital price transparency and identifying healthcare systems with extreme market power. Ho is examining multiple aspects of emergency care in the U.S. She has published multiple studies on the growth and high costs of freestanding emergency departments. She is currently examining the role that price increases and upcoding play in explaining growth in emergency department spending. She is also researching the spending and outcome consequences of expansion of Level I and II trauma centers in Texas.