I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Management & Policy at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health.  I am a health economist and health services researcher interested in the role of public policy and health care reform on addressing needs of the medically underserved.  I study Medicaid policy and Medicaid program design with a special interest in the role of Medicaid as a safety net program and understanding the policy inputs that influence Medicaid performance. 

At the University of Kentucky, I teach courses in the Master of Health Administration program as well as the PhD program in Health Services Research.  

I have courtesy appointments in the University of Kentucky's Department of Economics within the Gatton College of Business and Economics as well as the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration. 

I am a faculty affiliate in the Commonwealth Institute of Black Studies, the Center for Poverty Research, Center for Health Equity Transformation, and the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits.

Email: joseph[dot]benitez[at]uky[dot]edu