Home - Peter Ubel

On Health,
Bioethics, and
Behavioral Economics

As a physician and behavioral scientist, my research and writing explore the quirks in human nature that influence our lives -- the mixture of rational and irrational forces that affect our health, our happiness, and the way our society functions.
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Sick To Debt

How Smarter Markets Lead To Better Care

ABOUT THE BOOK: The United States has the most expensive healthcare system in the world. While policy makers have argued over who is at fault for this, the system has been quietly moving toward high-deductible insurance plans that require patients to pay large amounts out of pocket before insurance kicks in. The idea behind this […]
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Latest Content

Article
Science Isn’t Meant To Be Followed
Published Jun 18, 2020Featured Image For Science Isn’t Meant To Be Followed
Science cannot lead us out of this pandemic. Whatever paths we take to navigate COVID-19 need to be chosen through political processes. The true role of science is to illuminate these pathways, guiding our policy choices by showing us what’s at stake.
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Article
Smoking Cigarettes (My Circumstances Made Me Do It)
Published Jun 12, 2020Featured Image For Smoking Cigarettes (My Circumstances Made Me Do It)
Rates of cigarette smoking have dropped substantially in the US over the past few decades. But lots of Americans still smoke, and the burden of tobacco-related illness does not fall evenly across our population. That is tragic under normal circumstances, with tobacco use leading to heart attacks, strokes, cancers, and emphysema, to name but a […]
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Article
Duke Alumni Magazine Feature: Sick to Debt
Published May 15, 2020Featured Image For Duke Alumni Magazine Feature: Sick to Debt
The Duke Alumni Magazine just published a Q & A about my new book, Sick to Debt. Here was the picture accompanying that article. Y’all agree that this should have been the “author photo” on the back cover? Link to the Q & A  
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Article
Sick to Debt Now Available as Audio Book
Published May 12, 2020Featured Image For Sick to Debt Now Available as Audio Book
I’m excited to announce that my book is now available through Audible, to accompany you on all those long commutes you are no longer making to your job every day. Sigh…  But seriously, I think the topic of this book is more relevant than ever, and hope that having another way to “read” Sick to […]
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Article
Antibody Tests Could Offer A False Sense of Security
Published May 08, 2020Featured Image For Antibody Tests Could Offer A False Sense of Security
A lot of hope on reopening businesses and returning to work in the U.S. hinges on COVID-19 testing and the development of treatments and a vaccine. But as the country ramps up antibody testing – analyzing blood samples for signs someone has been exposed to or infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 – physician […]
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Other Books by Peter Ubel

About Peter

I am a physician and behavioral scientist. My research and writing explores the quirks in human nature that influence our lives — the mixture of rational and irrational forces that affect our health, our happiness and the way our society functions. (What fun would it be to tackle just the easy problems?) My goal is to show you, in an entertaining way, why the key to living better, healthier lives, and improving the societies we live in, is to understand human nature.

I’m also a Professor of Business, Public Policy and Medicine at Duke University. (Officially, I’m the – prepare to be impressed – Madge and Dennis T. McLawhorn University Professor of Business at Fuqua.) My research explores controversial issues about the role of values and preferences in health care decision making, from decisions at the bedside to policy decisions.

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