Abigail S. Friedman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Yale School of Public Health. Applying frameworks and methods from behavioral and health economics, her research focuses on the drivers of costly health behaviors, with a particular focus on adolescent and young adult tobacco and substance use, as well as related disparities (e.g., by socioeconomic status, education, and mental health). She is particularly interested in understanding how policy can be leveraged to attenuate these behaviors and reduce disparities therein. Current projects include analyses of the relationship between electronic and conventional cigarette use, studies of the drivers behind key disparities in youth suicide rates, and work on the relationship between adolescent development, mental heath, and risky behavior. Professor Friedman received her undergraduate degree from Columbia University and her Ph.D. in the economics concentration of Harvard University’s Ph.D. Program in Health Policy.

Drivers of costly health behaviors, with a particular focus on adolescent and young adult tobacco and substance use, as well as related disparities (e.g., by socioeconomic status, education, and mental health).