Ashley Leech, PhD, MS
Pregnancy/postpartum and infant health, substance use disorders, cost-effectiveness analysis/simulation modeling, perinatal pharmacoepidemiology
Ashley A. Leech, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine whose research advances high-value care for reproductive-age, pregnant, and postpartum populations. Her work has been published in high-impact medical and policy journals, including JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, JAMA Pediatrics, JAMA Health Forum, NEJM, and Health Affairs. Dr. Leech recently completed a NIH/NIDA K01 award (DA050740) as Principal Investigator, focused on optimizing treatment outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder. Findings from this work, intended to inform clinical practice and national policy, were recently published as a cost-effectiveness analysis in JAMA Pediatrics. Dr. Leech’s work integrates decision-analytic modeling with large-scale Medicaid and commercial claims data to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and economic impact of medications, with a focus on substance use disorders in pregnancy.
A full CV is available upon request.
View Dr. Leech's research on PubMed.
Recent & Highlighted Research
Leech AA, McNeer E, Roberts AW, Dusetzina SB, Lai P, Morgan JR, Patrick SW. Buprenorphine Out-of-Pocket Costs and Discontinuation in Privately Insured Adults With Opioid Use Disorder. JAMA Intern Med. 2023 August 07. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.2826. PubMed PMID: 37548972 Citation in REDCap PMC10407758.
Boos EW, Horta M, Thompson I, Dusetzina SB, Leech AA. Trends in the Use of Mifepristone for Medical Management of Early Pregnancy Loss From 2016 to 2020. JAMA. 2023 July 21. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.13628. PubMed PMID: 37477929 Citation in REDCap
Leech AA, McNeer E, Stein BD, Richards MR, McElroy T, Dupont WD, Patrick SW. County-level Factors and Treatment Access Among Insured Women With Opioid Use Disorder. Med Care. 2023 May 18. doi:10.1097/MLR.0000000000001867. PubMed PMID: 37199507 Citation in REDCap
Baig K, Dusetzina SB, Kim DD, Leech AA. Medicare Part D Coverage of Antiobesity Medications - Challenges and Uncertainty Ahead. N Engl J Med. 2023 March 16; 388(11):961-963. doi:10.1056/NEJMp2300516. PubMed PMID: 36912541 Citation in REDCap
Leech AA, Lin PJ, D'Cruz B, Parsons SK, Lavelle TA. Family Spillover Effects: Are Economic Evaluations Misrepresenting the Value of Healthcare Interventions to Society?. Appl Health Econ Health Policy. 2023 January; 21(1):5-10. doi:10.1007/s40258-022-00755-8. PubMed PMID: 35997896 Citation in REDCap PMC9839569.