Dr. sc. Kathryn Ann Dawson-Townsend
Lecturer and Research Officer in Healthcare Management
T +41 41 229 57 53 • Alpenquai 4, Room 7 • kathryn.dawson@unilu.ch
CV
Kathryn earned her PhD in Health Sciences with a focus on Health Economics in 2021. She also graduated from the Master of Health Science program at the University of Lucerne in June 2016 with a concentration in Health Service Research. Earlier she studied Industrial Engineering at the University of Michigan and earned an MBA from the University of Dayton (Ohio). Prior to moving to Switzerland, she worked for a large health insurer in Massachusetts in a variety of operational, strategic, and IT leadership roles. Additional work experience includes working at a large hospital (University of California at San Diego Medical Center) and an engineering consulting firm. She also studied and worked at TU Braunschweig (Germany).
Research
Kathryn’s doctoral research focused on the topic of social capital and health related-outcomes for older adults, as well as informal caregiving. She also co-authored a policy brief about increasing social participation for socially disadvantaged older adults in Switzerland, as part of the Swiss Learning Health System.
Currently, she is researching topics related to premium subsidies. Additional research interests include health policy, social inequalities, and topics related to older adults (healthy aging) as well as health care management.
Publications
- Gysin, S., Wagner, A., Dawson-Townsend, K. A., Schirlo, C., & Neuner-Jehle, S. (2023). Could health scientists contribute to better interprofessional collaboration? A qualitative study on students’ views and perspectives after attending a course on collaborative practice. Journal of Health Science and Education.
- Dawson-Townsend, K. (2019). Social participation patterns and their associations with health and well-being for older adults. SSM - Population Health. https://doi.org/10/1016/j.ssmph.2019.100424
Achievements
- The influence of premium subsidy enrollment scheme on health insurance choices and health care utilization. Lecture, 18th Portuguese National Health Economics Conference, APES (Portuguese Health Economics Association), Lisbon, 2023
- The influence of premium subsidy enrollment schemes on health plan choices. Lecture, Research Symposium Health Lucerne 2023, HSLU, University of Lucerne, XUND, Lucerne, 2023
- Long-term care financing and the provision of informal help: evidence from a policy change in Switzerland. Lecture, Swiss Public Health Conference 2020, Swiss Public Health, Virtuelle, 2020
- Information seeking and knowledge on in-home care services in a representative sample in Switzerland. (Panel) contribution, European Public Health Conference, European Public Health Association, Marseille, 2019
- Does social support moderate changes in social participation during non-spousal bereavement for older adults and does it matter for health and well-being outcomes? Poster, 24th Annual Conference, AIES (Italian Health Economics Association), Pisa, 2019
- Social Participation Patterns and the Association with Health and Wellbeing for Older Adults. Poster, International Association of Geriatrics & Gerontology, World Congress in Gothenburg, Sweden, International Association of Geriatrics & Gerontology, Gothenburg, 2019
