Wondi Samuel

Research Assistant Professor

Department of Health Services Management & Policy

ETSU is CEPH Accredited for Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral Degrees

Wondi Manalew

Wondimu Samuel

Research Assistant Professor, Center for Applied Research & Evaluation in Women's Health
Department of Health Services Management and Policy

423-439-4346 / manalew@etsu.edu 
Lamb Hall 144
Box 70623, Johnson City, TN 37615 






EDUCATION

  • Ph.D. Economics (Health Economics & Applied Econometrics), Indiana University Indianapolis (2020)
  • M.A. Economics, Vanderbilt University (2014)
  • M.Sc. Economics, Addis Ababa University (2011)
  • B.A. Economics, Haramaya University (2006)

COURSES TAUGHT

  • Health Systems (HSMP 2100), East Tennessee State University (ETSU)
  • Introduction to Microeconomics (ECON-E201), Indiana University Indianapolis
  • Introduction to Macroeconomics (ECON-E202), Indiana University Indianapolis
  • Statistics for Economists, Haramaya University
  • Mathematics of Money, Johns Hopkins University Talented Youth Program
  • Advanced Mathematical Analysis (ECSP 805), Michigan State University, American Economic Association (AEA) Summer Program        

RESEARCH FOCUS

  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Health Policy Research
  • Impact Evaluation
  • Medicaid
  • Causal Inference and Methods
  • Data Analysis and Data Science

FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS

  1. Adversity in Infancy and Childhood Cognitive Development: Evidence from four developing countries.
    Funder: Easte Tennessee State University Research Development Committee (RDC)
    Role: Primary Investigator
  2. Mitigating Disparities in Contraceptive Use: Examining the Impact of Contraceptive Access Initiatives.
    Funder: Society of Family Planning
    Role: Primary Investigator
  3. Geographic Differences in Postpartum Transitions to Care among Women Enrolled in State Medicaid Programs Experiencing Diabetes During Pregnancy
    Funder: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
    Role: Primary Investigator
  4. Evaluation of the South Carolina Choose Well Initiative
    Funder: Private Foundation
    Role: Co-Investigator

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  1. Manalew W, Hale N, Smith MG, Khoury J.A. Change in Contraceptive Use within South Carolina Medicaid Following the Choose Well Contraceptive Access Initiative: Did COVID-19 Alter the Trends? (Accepted for publication at Women’s Health Report).
  2. Manalew, W. S., White, M., Lee, J., & Hale, N. (2024). Postpartum Insurance Loss: Predicting Factors, Associations with Postpartum Health Service Utilization, and the Role of Medicaid Expansion. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 1-11.
  3. Lee, J., & Manalew, W. S. (2024). Adoption of virtual prenatal visits linked to recurrent virtual or forgone visits for postpartum care. Midwifery, 129, 103904.
  4. Hale N, Manalew W, Leinaar T, Smith MG, Sen P, Khoury A. Impact of the Choose Well Contraceptive Access Initiative on Method Use among Women Enrolled in South Carolina’s Medicaid Program: A mid-line assessment. Women’s Health Issues (In Press, Accepted July 2023)
  5. Lee J, Manalew WS. Reasons for Not Pursuing Virtual Prenatal Care in 2020 Through 2021 and Policy Implications. Telemed J E Health. 2023 Feb 14. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2022.0492. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36787485.
  6. Sharma P, Sen B, Hale N, Manalew WS, Leinaar E, Khoury A. Contraception Use and Pregnancy Outcomes for Alabama Medicaid Enrollees: A Baseline Analysis Using 2012-2017 Data. South Med J. 2022;115(12):899-906. 
  7. Manalew WS, Tennekoon VS, Lee J, O'Connell B, Quinn M. Adversity in Infancy and Childhood Cognitive Development: Evidence From Four Developing Countries. Int J Public Health. 2022 Dec 13;67:1604503. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1604503. PMID: 36582651; PMCID: PMC9792379.
  8. Manalew, W. S., Hale, N., Leinaar, E., Sen, B., Smith, M., & Khoury, A. (2022). Medicaid Cost Savings from Provision of Contraception to Beneficiaries in South Carolina, 2012–2018. Population Health Management.
  9. Hale, N., Manalew, W. S., Leinaar, E., Smith, M., Sen, B., Sharma, P., & Khoury, A. (2021). Contraceptive Use and Pregnancy Outcomes Among Women Enrolled in South Carolina Medicaid Programs. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 1-12.
  10. Manalew, WS, Tennekoon, VS (2019). Dirty hands on troubled waters: Sanitation, access to water and child health in Ethiopia. Review of Development Economics; 00:1–18. https ://doi.org/10.1111/rode.12604
  11. Mekonen, S., Manalew, WS, & Ambelu, A. (2014). Importance of labelling and patient knowledge to ensure proper care during drug dispensing,” A case study from a tertiary hospital in Ethiopia. Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, 4(01), 1. 

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS

  1. Manalew W, Hale N, Smith MG, Khoury A. The Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Contraception Use Among Women Enrolled in South Carolina Medicaid Program. AcademyHealth, Seattle, WA, June 2023.
  2. Manalew W, Hale N, Smith MG, Khoury A. Perinatal Depression, COVID-19, and the Role of Insurance: Evidence from Women with Recent Births in United States. AcademyHealth, Seattle, WA, June 2023.
  3. Hale N, Manalew W, Smith MG, Khoury A. Impact of the Choose Well Contraceptive Access Initiative on Method Use Among Women Enrolled in South Carolina’s Medicaid Program: A Mid-Line Assessment. AcademyHealth, Seattle, WA, June 2023.
  4. Hale N, Manalew W, Smith MG, Khoury A. Gestational Diabetes in Appalachia: Geographic Variation and Implications for Long-Term Chronic Disease Management. AcademyHealth, Seattle, WA, June 2023.
  5. Toitole, K. K., White, M., Zheng, S., Manalew, W. S., & Hale, N. (2024). IDF23-0345 Impact of Health Insurance on Diabetic Eye Screening Service Uptake Among US Adults 45 years and Older. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 209, 111167.
  6. Manalew WS, Hale N, Leinaar E, Smith MG, Khoury A. Postpartum Contraception Method Type, Timing of Use, and Risk of Short Interval Pregnancies among Individuals Enrolled in South Carolina Medicaid, 2012-2018. CityMatCH Conference 2021
  7. Lee, J., Manalew, W., & Oh, M. (2021). Workplace bullying or harassment and severe psychological distress among working Americans: Disparities across age, gender, and race/ethnicity. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo, October 2021
  8. Manalew WS, O’Connell B, Quinn M. Adversity in Infancy and Childhood Cognitive Development: Evidence from four developing countries. European Public Health 14th Annual Conference, 2021
  9. Manalew WS, Hale N, Leinaar E, Smith MG, Khoury A. Medicaid Cost Savings from Provision of Contraception to Female Beneficiaries in South Carolina. Poster presentation at Academy Health Annual Research Meeting, June 2021
  10. Hale N, Manalew WS, Leinaar E, Smith MG, Khoury A. Contraceptive Use Among Reproductive-Age Women Gaining Access to Medicaid and Associations with Pregnancy in South Carolina, 2012-2016. CityMatCH Conference 2020
  11. Manalew, WS. “The Effect of Education on Sexual and Reproductive Health: Evidence from natural experiment in Ethiopia”, Sothern Economic Association 90th Annual Conference, November 2020.
  12. Manalew, WS. “The Effect of Education on Sexual and Reproductive Health: Evidence from natural experiment in Ethiopia”, The University of New Mexico, Department of Economics Webinar, November 2020.
  13. Manalew, WS. “Does Education Reduce Child Marriage? Evidence from a Natural Experiment”, Vanderbilt University Graduate Students Workshop, October 2018. 
  14. Manalew, WS. & Terza, Joseph V. 2018. “Switching Regressions with Count Outcomes: Specification, Estimation and Causal Inference”, 2018 East-North-South-Central Health Economics Policy Conference December 7, Bloomington, IN. 
  15. Manalew, WS and Vidhura Tennekoon. “Dirty Hands on Troubled Waters: Sanitation, Access to Water and Child Health in Ethiopia.”  Midwest Economics Association 82nd annual conferences, March 2018.
  16. Manalew, WS and Vidhura Tennekoon, Access to Clean Water and Children Health in Ethiopia, 87th Annual Meeting of the Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences, October 2016.

HONORS, GRANTS, AND AWARDS

  • Dean’s Special Recognition Award, East Tennessee State University, College of Public Health
  • Carlin Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Paper in Empirical Economics, Indiana University Indianapolis, April 2018 
  • Graduate Student Travel Fellowship Award, Indiana University Indianapolis, November 2018 
  • Annual Health Econometrics Workshop Student Scholarship, September 2018 
  • Loretta Lunsford Scholarship, Indiana University Indianapolis, 2018/2019 Academic Year 
  • Graduate and Professional Educational Grant, Indiana University, January 2018 
  • Graduate Program in Economic Development (GPED) Award for Academic Excellence, Vanderbilt University, May 2014
  • Graduate Program in Economic Development (GPED) Special Award for Service to the Graduate Program, Vanderbilt University, May 2014

PERSONAL INTERESTS

Spending time with family, attending church services, reading, and exercising