Kathleen McGarry, professor and chair of the department of economics, has been named a 2014-15 visiting scholar by the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation's oldest and most recognized academic honor society.
McGarry is one of 13 top scholars nationwide who have been selected to travel to many of the 283 universities and colleges where Phi Beta Kappa chapters are located. The society's visiting scholars program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to spend time with some of America’s most distinguished scholars in the liberal arts and sciences, and enriches the intellectual life on campuses across the country. McGarry and her fellow visiting scholars will spend two days on each campus, meeting informally with undergraduates, participating in classroom lectures and seminars and giving one major address open to the entire academic community and the general public.
McGarry conducts research on the well-being of the elderly, combining work on the financial aspects of aging with issues related to health economics to examine insurance coverage among the elderly. She has studied the long-term care, health, and life insurance markets, as well as the role played by families in providing insurance for their least well-off members. McGarry's current work analyzes the importance of end-of-life medical expenses, particularly expenses associated with nursing homes and home health care, and differences in spending by disability status.
A former member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, McGarry has had fellowships from the Brookdale Foundation and the National Bureau of Economic Research.
