By Julia Hess ’15
Gregory Morrison ‘15 and Samuel Necrason ’16 along with Aaron Pacitti, Ph.D , assistant professor of economics, authored an article titled, “Why Aren’t We Living to 120” that was recently published on the Huffington Post website.
Morrison and Necrason participated in a semester long independent study with Pacitti that was inspired by their interest in economics.
Their editorial answered the question of why Americans are spending so much money on health care. While suggesting steps aimed at improving healthcare costs and overall health outcomes, they examined the faults of the current system. Their ultimate piece of advice was for the American government to look to other successful nations as models for change.
“Working with Sam and Greg was very enjoyable. They zeroed in on the economics of healthcare, an important political and economic topic,” Pacitti said. “They started the project without any preconceptions and combed through massive amounts of data to arrive at their main conclusion.”
Morrison and Necrason’s research was sponsored by Siena’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (CURCA). Necrason was motivated to share their work in order to shed some light to the general public on what is often seen as a complex topic.
“In the United States, we have ample room to improve our healthcare system. To make a change, we need informed policy and informed people. Healthcare is incredibly complex. I’m not an expert, but I do know that healthcare is a human right, not a privilege for the elite.”
CURCA provides opportunities to students across all programs to engage in independent studies and summer research based on their individual academic interests.
