Dov Chernichovsky (Ph.D. Economics) is a professor of health economics and policy at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. He is a Research Associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research in the USA, and a consultant to the World Bank. Dov heads the health team at the Taub Center for the Study of Social Policy in Israel and manages the Negev Health Forum for health promotion in the southern region in Israel. He also serves on the board of the Israeli Cancer Society, the Baxter Prize advisory board and on the editorial boards of several journals.
Amongst his memberships in numerous commissions, Dov was a member of the Israeli State (Blue Ribbon/Royal) Netanyahu Commission of Inquiry into the Israeli Health Care System between 1990 and 1998. This commission outlined the reform proposal that led to the national health insurance legislation that was enacted in Israel in 1995. More recently, 2000–2002, he served on a similar commission that set further reform proposals for the Israeli system. Dov was the health system advisor to the Israeli parliament (Knesset), 2005-2007.
On behalf of the World Bank, Dov played key roles in health system reform formulations in Romania, Russia and more recently in Mexico and Tanzania. In Russia he helped formulate the health insurance legislation underlying the current Russian health care system.
Research wise, initially Dov studied household behavior in various countries around the world. Dov`s research in Botswana, Brazil, India, Indonesia and the USA yielded pioneering economic studies in household investment in human resources, notably education and nutrition. Dov has become known for articulating "the favored son hypothesis" for investment in children`s schooling.
Subsequently, Dov moved to study healthcare systems. These studies led to the formulation of the Emerging Paradigm in health systems, a framework for studying and reforming these systems. He is also known for his innovative work in the application of Hedonic Prices to estimate hospital costs. As well as the application of Fuzzy Logic to the study of financing in health systems and formulating a non conventional view of the effect of aging on health system costs.
