Katie FitzpatrickAssociate Professor of Consumer Science

My research is at the intersection of consumer policy, food policy, and health policy. It is motivated by an interest in understanding and improving policies that can improve economic well-being and advance opportunity. I study mainstream and alternative financial services (AFS, i.e., payday lenders, pawn lenders, check cashers, and more); the determinants of food insecurity and the use of food assistance; and the benefits of health insurance coverage.

At UW–Madison, I apply my research and experience as the faculty PI for the Medicaid Research and Evaluation (MER) program, an inter-agency agreement between the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The MER program conducts evaluations of the Wisconsin’s BadgerCare and SeniorCare programs, as well as explores a range of other topics affecting Wisconsin’s Medicaid program. At the School of Human Ecology, I also serve as the Graduate Program Chair for the Consumer Behavior & Family Economics (CBFE) doctoral program.

Selected Publications

Dickert-Conlin, S., Fitzpatrick, K., Stacy, B., & Tiehen, L. (2021). The downs and ups of the SNAP caseload: What matters? Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 43(3), 1026–1050.

Fitzpatrick, A., & Fitzpatrick, K. (2021). Health insurance transitions and use of fringe banks: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act. Contemporary Economic Policy, 39(3), 557–572.

Fitzpatrick, K., Greenhalgh-Stanley, N., & Ver Ploeg, M. (2019). Food deserts and diet-related health outcomes of the elderly. Food Policy, 87(August 2019), 101747.

For a full list of publications, see Fitzpatrick’s CV.