Frisvold’s research interests include health economics and the economics of education. He is interested in understanding whether and how public policies targeted towards children influence their health and education outcomes, and his research specifically focuses on childhood obesity, soft drink taxes, early childhood education, school quality, and food assistance programs.

His research has been published in leading economics and health policy journals including Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Health Economics, Journal of Human Resources, and Health Affairs and has been funded by various institutes and organizations including the NIH, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research, University of California Davis Center for Poverty Research, and Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin.

Prior to joining Iowa in 2013, he was a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy Research at the University of Michigan until 2008 and an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at Emory University until 2013. He received his B.S. in Mathematical Economics from Wake Forest University and his Ph.D. in Economics from Vanderbilt University.

Related IowaNow content:

https://now.uiowa.edu/2015/03/better-breakfast-better-grades

https://now.uiowa.edu/2014/03/research-finds-soda-tax-does-little-curb-obesity

https://now.uiowa.edu/2013/08/pe-mandates-have-mixed-success-fighting-childhood-obesity