Peter A Ubel

Peter A Ubel is the Madge and Dennis T. McLawhorn University Professor of Business, Public Policy and Medicine at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. He is a physician and behavioral scientist whose research and writing explore the mixture of rational and irrational forces that affect our health, our happiness, and the way our society functions. Ubel uses the tools of decision psychology and behavioral economics to examine topics such as informed consent, shared decision making, and health care cost containment. His books include Pricing Life: Why it’s time for healthcare rationing (MIT Press 2000), Free Market Madness: How economics is at odds with human nature—and why it matters (Harvard Business Press, 2009), Critical Decisions (HarperCollins, 2012), and Sick to Debt (Yale, 2019).

Peter Ubel is a Professor of Business, Public Policy, and Medicine at Duke University, known for his research on health care decision-making, risk communication, and health economics. His work explores how patients and physicians make decisions, the impact of numeracy on health understanding, and the role of societal values in health policy. Ubel's research also addresses disparities in health care, including gender differences in physician salaries and the influence of anecdotal reasoning on health decisions. His publications frequently examine the ethical and practical challenges of health care reform, cost-effectiveness, and patient comprehension in clinical settings.