Whetten Fellow Spotlight: Graduate Student Heads to the ASSA Annual Meeting

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Contributed by graduate student Jhinia Garcia.

My research focuses on understanding the structural determinants of health among Hispanic populations in the United States. Using national survey data and quantitative methods, I examine how socioeconomic conditions shape overall health through four key mediating pathways: access to healthcare, health behaviors, mental health, and physical health. In this context, attending the ASSA 2026 Annual Meeting (January 3–5, 2026, Philadelphia) strengthened my methodological approach and informed refinements to my research design. The conference also facilitated engagement with current research in health economics and health policy that directly informs my analysis of structural health disparities.

Graduate Student Jhinia Garcia stands beneath the large red “LOVE” sculpture, which features the letters stacked with the “L” and tilted “O” on top and the “V” and “E” below. The sculpture is mounted on a square metal frame. The scene is set in an outdoor urban plaza bordered by tall buildings, with a paved walkway and several people visible in the background.The Whetten Latin American Studies Fellowship Fund provided USD 655 in Fall 2025, which was used only for conference expenses. The funds covered round-trip transportation, three nights of lodging near the venue, student registration, and local transportation and meals. These expenses enabled full participation in conference sessions and professional events.

I attended multiple sessions directly related to my research on the structural determinants of health, including The Economics of International Health, Economics of the Health Gradient, Economics of Mental Health, Economic Impact of Childcare Interventions, and Value of Health and Longevity. Session chairs included Shiko Maruyama, Karen Eggleston, James Heckman, Anna Chorniy, Emily Beam, and Robert Topel. These sessions examined how institutional arrangements, labor market conditions, early-life environments, and public policies shape health outcomes across the life course and contribute to persistent socioeconomic gradients in health.

The conference helped with concrete methodological insights relevant to my research framework, particularly for modeling indirect effects and identifying policy-relevant mechanisms linking socioeconomic disadvantage to physical and mental health outcomes. Discussions of childcare interventions and school-based health programs strengthened the life-course perspective of my research, reinforcing the importance of early institutional contexts in shaping later health disparities. In addition, presentations on health system reforms and incentive structures in international settings helped contextualize my work within broader debates on healthcare access and quality.

Overall, the fellowship enabled full participation in the ASSA 2026. The training, feedback, and methodological exposure gained during the conference will inform refinements to my MA research design and guide the next stages of my research projects.