Aaron Beaston-Blaakman

An internationally experienced researcher in the field of health
economics, Aaron Blaakman has conducted numerous studies in the areas
of cost analysis as it relates to family and the community.  



Global Researcher in Health Economics

Aaron Beaston-Blaakman currently serves as a health economics and
financing research consultant and is based in Cary, North Carolina.
Prior to his independent consulting work, he served as a Scientist in
Health Economics at Family Health International in Durham, NC. He held
this position from 2005-2008. While at FHI, Aaron Beaston-Blaakman
served as principal investigator for a study on “Conceptual and
Empirical Analysis of Cost Analysis Methodologies in Substance Abuse
Treatment,” which was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
through a $154,000 grant.  




Aaron Blaakman’s pursuit of knowledge has led him all over Africa and
Asia, to such countries as Botswana, Bulgaria, Guinea, Ivory Coast,
Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mali, Mongolia, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, South
Africa, Uganda and Zambia. Accordingly, many of Aaron
Beaston-Blaakman’s cost analysis research projects have been set in
Africa and Asia.



•    Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Peer Education in
Zambia (Youthnet)

•    Cost Analysis of Health Care Service Packages in
Rwandan Health Centers and Hospitals (with Intrahealth/RTI)

•    Cost Analysis of PMTCT Best Practices in South
Africa

•    Cost Analysis of Family Planning and VCT
Integration in Kenya


•    Cost Analysis of IUD Scaling Up in Uganda (with
Engenderhealth)

•    Economic Evaluation of Systematic Screening in
Senegal (Frontiers/Population Council)

•    Development of a Community Based Health Insurance
Program in rural Guinea (Frontiers/Population Council)

•    Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Community Based
Distribution Practices in Mali (with Save the Children)

•    Economic Evaluation of the “Young Men As Equal
Partners Project” in Uganda and Kenya




Service At Brandeis University

From 1998 to 2005, Aaron Beaston-Blaakman worked for Brandeis
University’s Schneider Institute for Health Policy, and the Heller
School for Social Policy and Management. There, Aaron Beaston-Blaakman
served as a research associate focusing on Cost and Cost-Effectiveness
Analysis and on Substance Abuse and International Health.



During his time with Brandeis, Aaron Blaakman worked on a variety of
research initiatives. Among them:



•    A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis of Cost
Analysis Methodologies in Substance Abuse Treatment, supported by NIDA

•    Treatment Costs and Organizational Monitoring,
Texas Christian University,

supported by NIDA


•    Treatment Needs: Research and Evaluation
Specialists, supported by the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Abuse
Services    

•    Extended Telephone Monitoring for Alcoholics with
University of Pennsylvania,

supported by NIAAA

•    Cost-effectiveness of dietary interventions to
reduce AIDS wasting, supported by NIDDK



In addition to his Brandeis research, Aaron Beaston-Blaakman has
participated in a variety of external research projects on cost and
financial analysis. Some of the recent projects he has been involved
with include:

•    Cost Methods Consultant, Texas Christian
University, Center for Behavioral Health, Fort Worth, Texas


•    Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Consultant, Family
First Project, National Development and Research Institutes, New York

•    Economic Analysis Advisor, University of North
Carolina, School of Medicine, North Carolina Disaster Management Project



From 1997 to 1998, Aaron Beaston-Blaakman served as program evaluation
director for Charles River Health Management, in Boston.



Teaching At Tufts, Dakar And Brandeis

Aaron Blaakman has also taught at a number of prestigious universities.
From 1998 to 2000, Aaron Beaston-Blaakman’s professorial duties
included Adjunct Professor Health Policy, Tufts University,
Experimental College, Medford, Mass.; Adjunct Lecturer in
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Centre D’Etudes Supérieurs en
Gestion, Dakar, Sénégal; Instructor, Brandeis University,
Sustainable International Development Program; and Adjunct Lecturer,
Emmanuel College, Healthcare Administration Program, Boston.




A Background In Social Work

In the early 1990s, Aaron Beaston-Blaakman gained experience in social
work by serving as  Sociotherapist/Recreation Therapist, for the
Hillside Children’s   

Center in Rochester, N.Y. Aaron Beaston-Blaakman also served as a
Social Worker, for the Hillside Children’s Center, Juvenile Justice
Services, Hillside Children’s Center, Rochester; and as Program
Assistant for Dads and Children Together, Hillside Children’s Center,
Rochester.   



Has Contributed To Many Published Works      

           
         

As well as research projects and teaching, Aaron Beaston-Blaakman’s
work has been published in many scholarly journals. A selected
bibliography of recently published articles includes:



Reynolds, H., Toroitich-Ruto, C., Nasution, M., Beaston-Blaakman, A.,
Janowitz, B.,  Effectiveness of training supervisors to improve
reproductive health quality of care: a cluster-randomized trial in
Kenya. Health Policy Plan. 2008 23: 56-66



Beaston-Blaakman, A.. Book review: Richard G. Frank and Sherry A. Glied
"Better But Not Well: Mental Health Policy In The United States Since
1950", Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. J Ment
Health Policy Econ. 2007 Sep;10(3):153-4




Beaston-Blaakman A., Shepard DS, Stone N, Shevitz AH.
Cost-effectiveness of clinical interventions for AIDS wasting. AIDS
Care. Sep;19(8):996-1001, 2007



Beaston-Blaakman, A., Shepard, D., Horgan, C., and Ritter, G.
Organizational and Client Determinants of Cost in Outpatient Substance
Abuse Treatment, J Ment Health Policy Econ (1):3-13, 2007



Education And Awards

Aaron Beaston-Blaakman holds a PhD in Social Policy from the Heller
School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University. Prior to
that he earned an MA in Social Policy, also from the Heller School at
Brandeis. Earlier, he earned an MPA from the Maxwell School of
Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University; and an MSW from
the School of Social Work, Syracuse University. Fluent in French, he
has done graduate course work in the French language, at New York
University in Paris.          
             


Aaron Beaston-Blaakman has been honored during his career as a
University Fellow, Syracuse University, Academic Year 1995-1996. Also
in 1996, he won the Masters Prize, Syracuse University, School of
Social Work, Convocation. A year earlier, during work in Seoul, S.
Korea, he was honored with the Mark and Pearle Clements Intern Scholar
award.



Aaron Beaston-Blaakman resides in Cary, N.C.