Staff

Cyril F. Chang, Director
Dr. Cyril Chang, the Director of Methodist Le Bonheur Center for Healthcare Economics, is a Suzanne Downs Palmer Professor in Economic at the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, The University of Memphis.  Dr. Chang received his Ph.D. in economics from The University of Virginia and has been with the University of Memphis since 1981.  He teaches Health Care Economics and Executive MBA Economics, and regularly conducts executive training seminars and workshops for health care professionals and executives.

Dr. Chang has written extensively in three areas of health care research: (1) The evaluation of TennCare as a state-level health care reform program, (2) The prevalence of potentially avoidable hospitalizations and its variations among racial and insurance groups, and (3) Cost effectiveness analysis of clinical interventions.  He has published in such prestigious peer-reviewed journals as the Journal of American Medical Association, Health Economics, Health Services Research, Journal of Health Policy, Politics and Law, Health Care Management Science, and Medical Care Research and Review.

Rebecca A. Pope, Research Associate
Rebecca Pope started at The Center as a Graduate Research Assistant and has been a Research Associate since 2007. She has a M.A. in economics and a B.A. in economics and sociology. Rebecca has worked as a health economist for Amerigroup Corporation and The University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She specializes in observational study design and claims analysis. Rebecca is currently working part-time at The Center while she pursues a doctorate in the health systems research with a concentration in health economics from The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Gregory Lubiani, Graduate Research Assistant
Greg Lubiani received his B.B.A. in Finance and M.A. in Economics from The University of Memphis. Upon completion of his M.A., he began work as an Operations Analyst for a national healthcare provider where he developed labor productivity reports and evaluated insurance carrier negotiations, among other duties. Currently, Greg teaches Economics at Southwest Tennessee Community College while also working full-time towards a PhD in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics at The University of Memphis. Greg's research interests include Applied Microeconomics, Health Economics, and Environmental Economics.

Affiliated Researchers

George Mayzell, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.P.
Dr. George Mayzell is the Chief Executive officer of Health Choice, LLC.  Health Choice is one of the Mid-South's leading managed health care organizations, serving the needs of more than 518,000 health plan members through contracts with over 100 employers, insurance companies and third-party administrators. Dr. Mayzell most recently was senior vice president, chief patient care officer for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and has also served as chief medical officer of Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital.

Dr. Mayzell has an extensive background both as a practicing physician and a health care executive.  He brings a wealth of experience and insights into the practice of medicine in a post-health care reform environment.

Bill Cecil, M.B.A.
Mr. Bill Cecil is an independent health care consultant.  He was formerly the Director of Health Policy Research for BlueCross and BlueShield of Tennessee and brings over 30 years of experience as a former hospital and insurance executive to the Methodist Le Bonheur Center for Healthcare Economics. He contributes to the work of the Center with his intimate knowledge about how hospitals and health plans work his ability to bridge theory and practice in health care.