Sean Y. Sylvia

Sean Y. Sylvia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, where he directs the Digital Health Economics & Policy Lab (DHEPLab). He is a Faculty Fellow at the Carolina Population Center, the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, and the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, and an Affiliate of the UNC Gillings Center for Artificial Intelligence and Public Health. He is also co-founder and CEO of CollectiveGood, a company he started to bring clinician-in-the-loop evaluation to clinical AI.

As a health and development economist, his work uses experimental and quasi-experimental methods to study innovative approaches to improve the delivery of health services in underserved communities globally. His research has appeared in leading public health and economics journals including the BMJ, PLOS Medicine, Health Services Research, the Journal of Health Economics, World Development, and the Economic Journal.

The DHEP Lab convenes interdisciplinary teams to weave insights from the behavioral, data, and computer sciences into transformative health policy research suited for the digital age. Current research focuses on clinician-in-the-loop evaluation of AI clinical decision support, behavioral approaches to adherence in digital health programs, and measuring the quality of care in low-resource settings.

Prior to joining UNC, Dr. Sylvia held positions at Renmin University of China, Stanford University, and the World Bank.