About

Joanna Levy is a lecturer in Sports Management at Columbia University School of Professional Studies and serves as the Senior Director of Marketing Analytics for DraftKings. In her role at DraftKings, she evaluates the effectiveness of external marketing spend across all verticals and channels through data analysis, modeling, and reporting. She also oversees measurement and insights related to internal marketing channels, customer research, and brand marketing analytics. Levy has previously led the Sportsbook Product Analytics team and Data Science Product Management teams at DraftKings. Prior to her work at DraftKings, Levy served as the director of the Strategy and Analytics team for Comcast Spectacor, the parent company of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Philadelphia Wings, and the Wells Fargo Center. Her responsibilities included providing data-driven strategic analysis for decision-making across various teams and business lines, with a focus on forecasting, budgeting, ticket pricing optimization, and data visualization. She also worked on marketing and fan engagement through survey design and analysis, corporate partnerships, and strategic planning. Levy's career began in finance, working at Bear Stearns and Morgan Stanley in public finance. She holds an M.B.A. from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, with concentrations in Business Analytics and Management, and a B.A. in Mathematics and Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating cum laude.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Gastroenterology
• Pediatrics
• Emergency medicine

Selected publications

• The Cost-Effectiveness of Enoxaparin Compared with Aspirin for Thromboprophylaxis in Patients with Orthopaedic Trauma

  Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery · 2026-01-26

  article1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Although clinical guidelines endorse enoxaparin for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in patients with orthopaedic trauma, recent evidence from a large clinical trial has demonstrated that aspirin provides comparable protection against death and pulmonary embolism. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of thromboprophylaxis with enoxaparin compared with that with aspirin in patients with orthopaedic trauma from the perspective of the U.S. health-care system. METHODS: The study modeled a hypothetical cohort of adult patients with an operatively treated extremity, pelvic, or acetabular fracture based on data from a recent clinical trial and national databases. We used a decision analysis model to compare 30 mg of enoxaparin with 81 mg of aspirin, administered twice daily in-hospital and prescribed for 21 days after discharge. Health-care costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) within 1 year after the injury derived from published research and publicly available cost data were based on potential disease states, including death or a combination of pulmonary embolism, proximal deep vein thrombosis, distal deep vein thrombosis, or a bleeding complication. We assessed cost-effectiveness compared with a willingness-to-pay threshold of $150,000 per QALY. RESULTS: Our model estimated that the 1-year health-care costs among patients prescribed enoxaparin were $35,301, producing 0.6705 QALYs. Aspirin was associated with $35,067 in 1-year health-care costs and 0.6701 QALYs. The overall health-care costs were $234 higher with enoxaparin but yielded only a 0.0004 improvement in QALYs, for an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for enoxaparin of $635,340 per QALY, indicating that enoxaparin is not cost-effective compared with aspirin. In a sensitivity analysis, the probability of enoxaparin thromboprophylaxis being cost-effective compared with aspirin was 9.8% in 10,000 iterations. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that enoxaparin is not cost-effective relative to aspirin for thromboprophylaxis in patients with orthopaedic trauma. The results support consideration of aspirin as a preferred agent in future guidelines, especially given the consistent patient preference for its oral administration. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Economic and Decision Analysis Level I . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

  PublisherDOI

• Individual vs societal perspectives: implications on quantitative benefit-risk assessment of vaccination

  Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research · 2025-10-07

  review

  INTRODUCTIONS: The benefits and risks of each vaccine must be compared prior to their recommendation and again when new evidence emerges. AREAS COVERED: A narrative scoping review was conducted by searching MEDLINE via PubMed on 8 October 2024 and 12 September 2025. The implications of benefit-risk assessments of vaccines are discussed. A quantitative benefit-risk assessment may be conducted from an individual perspective, which only considers direct health effects, or from a societal perspective, which considers both direct and indirect health effects (e.g. a reduction of transmissibility through community immunity). Whether the results of quantitative benefit-risk assessment of vaccination encompass an individual or societal perspective should be made clear as this changes the meaning for stakeholders. A societal perspective is fundamental to evaluating vaccine benefits and risks as a population. However, showing a beneficial impact from a societal perspective may not be sufficient motivation to vaccinate oneself or their children. EXPERT OPINION: Benefit-risk assessments of vaccination from an individual perspective may be helpful for these individuals in their vaccine decision-making. Ideally, timely vaccine benefit-risk assessments from both societal and individual perspectives are conducted in parallel, and the results of both are clearly communicated to the public to aid in vaccine decision-making.

  PublisherDOI

• Cost Savings of Switching to Aspirin for Thromboprophylaxis in Orthopaedic Trauma Patients: A Budget Impact Analysis

  Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons · 2025-07-09 · 1 citations

  article1st author

  INTRODUCTION: Clinical guidelines recommend low-molecular-weight heparin (enoxaparin) to prevent venous thromboembolism in orthopaedic trauma patients. However, a large trial recently found aspirin noninferior to enoxaparin in preventing death and pulmonary embolism in this population. We modeled cost implications for the United States healthcare system if aspirin replaced enoxaparin as the standard of care for thromboprophylaxis in orthopaedic trauma patients. METHODS: The modeling compared spending under two scenarios: continued use of enoxaparin versus switching to aspirin. The model included fracture incidence estimates from the National Inpatient Sample and dose and duration data from the clinical trial. We derived medication costs from current market prices across payer types and care settings (ie, inpatient and postdischarge prescriptions). The model incorporates uncertainty around each parameter based on calculated standard errors and generates bootstrapped estimates of costs and cost savings disaggregated by the payer. RESULTS: The results indicated that prescribing enoxaparin for thromboprophylaxis to more than 600,000 fracture patients costs $162.7 million annually, whereas thromboprophylaxis with aspirin would cost $1.6 million annually. Spending on thromboembolic events totals $210.7 million under the enoxaparin scenario and $222.1 million with aspirin. Overall, aspirin for thromboprophylaxis in fracture patients would yield annual savings of $149.7 million (95% credible interval: $97 to $208 million) compared with enoxaparin. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that a widespread switch from enoxaparin thromboprophylaxis to aspirin would lead to more than $100 million in annual cost savings in the United States alone. Insurers stand to benefit most from this practice change. However, patients, especially those without insurance, would realize considerable savings from aspirin thromboprophylaxis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 1, Economic.

  PublisherDOI

• Biosimilar Turf Wars *

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Telemedicine-enabled home monitoring enhances asthma control in children: A randomized controlled trial

  2025-09-27

  article

  <bold>Introduction:</bold> Asthma affects over 300 million individuals globally and is linked to long-term complications. Limited face-to-face specialist-patient interactions hinder optimal management. Telemedicine with home-based monitoring may improve disease control. <bold>Aim:</bold> To assess whether telemedicine-enabled home monitoring improves asthma control compared to in-clinic care. Methods A single-center RCT (N=160) included children (6-18 years) with physician-diagnosed asthma. Participants were randomized into: - Standard Group (SG): Routine in-clinic care. - Virtual Group (VG): Monthly home-based monitoring (spirometry, oximetry, auscultation) plus quarterly teleconsultations. Primary outcome: Symptom-free days (SFDs) over 12 months. Secondary outcomes: Healthcare utilization, parental absenteeism from work, and satisfaction. <bold>Results:</bold> The VG had significantly more SFDs than the SG (IRR 1.04 [95% CI: 1.0003-1.08], p = 0.049). Healthcare utilization was similar. Parental workdays missed were lower (0.73 vs. 3.7 days, p < 0.001). Satisfaction was high, though some technical issues were reported. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> Telemonitoring, enabling frequent sensor based assessment, improved asthma control, reduced parental absenteeism and resulted in high satisfaction. Virtual care may be a viable alternative to standard management. <fig><object-id>erj;66/suppl_69/OA1268/F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><graphic></graphic></fig>

  PublisherDOI

• GLP-1 Receptor Agonists vs Alternatives for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Multi-Target Trial Emulation

  medRxiv · 2025-06-11 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract Background Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have shown promise for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Objective To evaluate the association between use of newer GLP-1 RAs (semaglutide, tirzepatide) and alcohol-related hospitalizations among adults with AUD and either type 2 diabetes (T2D) or obesity. Methods This retrospective target trial emulation study used electronic health record data from Truveta to identify adults with AUD and either T2D or obesity, who initiated a newer GLP-1 RA (semaglutide, tirzepatide) or relevant active comparator between 2018 and 2024. Four target trials were constructed to reflect clinically distinct populations and comparators: (1) ADM trial (patients with T2D and comparators of other anti-diabetic medications [ADM]), (2) AOM trial (patients with obesity but not T2D and comparators of other anti-obesity medications [AOM]), (3) MAUD-T2D trial (patients with T2D and markers of more severe AUD and comparators of medications for alcohol use disorder [MAUD]), (4) MAUD-obesity trial (patients with obesity, no T2D, and markers of more severe AUD and comparators of MAUD). The primary endpoint was time to alcohol-related hospitalization. Non-alcohol-related hospitalization served as a negative control outcome. Propensity score-based methods (weighting and matching) were used to control for confounding. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the treatment effect of newer GLP-1 RA in four target trials. Results A total of 40,260 patients were identified, including 18,515 in the ADM trial, 9,256 in the AOM trial, 9,975 in the MAUD and T2D trial, and 11,039 in the MAUD and obesity trial. GLP-1 RAs were associated with a lower hazard of alcohol-related hospitalization in the ADM (HR [95% CI]: 0.70 [0.59 - 0.83] vs. sulfonylureas; 0.73 [0.62 - 0.86] vs. other ADMs), AOM (HR: 0.59 [0.48 - 0.74]), MAUD-T2D (HR: 0.36 [0.29 - 0.46]), and MAUD-obesity (HR: 0.32 [0.23 - 0.43]) trials. No significant differences were observed for non-alcohol-related hospitalizations for ADM and MAUD-T2D trials. Conclusion Newer GLP-1 RAs were associated with reduced risk of alcohol-related hospitalization across clinically distinct populations.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effectiveness of AZD7442 (Tixagevimab/Cilgavimab) for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Against COVID-19 Hospitalization in Israel During the Omicron Sub-Variant Time Period

  Infectious Diseases and Therapy · 2025-01-07 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: The effectiveness of AZD7442 (tixagevimab/cilgavimab) against COVID-19 hospitalizations was determined at 3 and 6 months among immunocompromised individuals in Israel during different variant circulations. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study using data from Clalit Health Services in Israel. Immunocompromised individuals eligible to receive AZD7442 300 mg between 15 February and 11 December 2022 were identified. Immunocompromised individuals receiving AZD7442 300 mg as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) were propensity score (PS)-matched 1:1 to unexposed individuals using a "rolling cohort" approach. Calendar time Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed with adjustment for post-matched unbalanced covariates to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Overall, 2444 AZD7442-exposed immunocompromised individuals were PS-matched to unexposed individuals. In the matched population, up to 6 months of follow-up, AZD7442 300 mg presented an unadjusted HR (without adjustment for the unbalanced covariates) of 0.68 (95% CI 0.43-1.08) and covariate-adjusted HR of 0.64 (95% CI 0.40-1.03) against COVID-19 hospitalization. Covariate-adjusted instantaneous hazards plots showed that the effectiveness of AZD7442 300 mg waned from Day 90. Up to 3 months of follow-up, the unadjusted HR was 0.43 (95% CI 0.21-0.91) for AZD7442 300 mg against COVID-19 hospitalization in the matched population; there were insufficient events to allow covariate-adjusted analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that AZD7442 300 mg reduced COVID-19 hospitalizations among immunocompromised individuals; however, the findings are limited by a lack of sufficient events to produce conclusive results.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Improving Affordability of Pharmaceutical Treatments for Diabetes: A Call for Action

  Diabetes Care · 2025-06-21 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Unaffordability of pharmaceutical treatments remains as a critical barrier to diabetes care in the U.S. Through a synthesis of recent evidence on affordability of diabetes drugs, with particular attention to emergent reforms, this call for action focuses on structural solutions to improve the affordability of pharmaceutical treatments for diabetes in the U.S. that providers should be aware of and consider supporting. Incentivizing competition in biosimilars and generics markets, increasing transparency, reforming pricing models that influence drug coverage, and expanding federal negotiation of drug prices, among other actions, can help make prescription drugs more affordable for patients, reduce budgetary impacts on payors, and increase access, ultimately helping to improve the health of all Americans living with diabetes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Implementation of AZD7442 (Tixagevimab/Cilgavimab) COVID-19 Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in the Largest Health Maintenance Organization in Israel: Real-world Uptake and Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics Across Immunocompromised Patient Groups

  Infectious Diseases and Therapy · 2024-05-10 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: AZD7442 is a combination of two neutralizing antibodies (tixagevimab/cilgavimab) with demonstrated efficacy in reducing the risk of symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among individuals at high risk of severe COVID-19 ≤ 6 months after administration. On February 15, 2022, the Israeli Ministry of Health (IMoH) authorized the administration of 300 mg AZD7442 as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection among immunocompromised individuals aged ≥ 12 years. This study describes the real-world uptake of AZD7442 in Israel. METHODS: This descriptive, observational study analyzed data from Israel's largest health maintenance organization, Clalit Health Services (CHS). Individuals were assessed for AZD7442 eligibility between February 13 and December 11, 2022, and were included if they were aged ≥ 12 years, had ≥ 1 year of continuous CHS membership, had ≥ 1 moderate or severe immunocompromising condition, and were eligible for AZD7442 per IMoH recommendations during this time frame. RESULTS: Overall, 19,161 AZD7442-eligible individuals with immunocompromising conditions were identified during the study period; 2829 (14.8%) received AZD7442. A higher proportion of individuals receiving AZD7442 were older (aged ≥ 65 years), male, not current smokers and residents in large cities; required more physician visits (> 50 visits); and had ≥ 1 COVID-19 hospitalization over 12 months, while uptake was lowest among ultra-orthodox Jewish individuals. AZD7442 uptake was also higher among individuals with multiple comorbidities (Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥ 5), including hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. In specific immunocompromised types, AZD7442 uptake was highest among individuals with lung transplantation (41%), primary immunodeficiency (32%), bone marrow transplantation (29%) and multiple myeloma (25%) or those receiving anti-CD20 therapy (26%) and was lowest in individuals with lymphoma (8%). CONCLUSION: These results show AZD7442 uptake among the eligible population of Israel in 2022 was relatively low, at 14.8%. Uptake was generally higher among immunocompromised individuals who may be perceived to be frail or at highest risk of COVID-19 infection and complications, although at 25-41%, further improvements in uptake would be more impactful. These results also indicate there is opportunity to expand AZD7442 uptake across immunocompromised groups and ensure more equitable uptake among some other sociodemographic groups. Overall, this study will help inform and reassess future implementation strategies for vulnerable populations.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Using Alma to Alleviate Tristeza Maternal: Preliminary Outcomes of a Peer-Led Behavioral Activation Program Among Latina Mothers

  Behavior Therapy · 2024-11-28 · 3 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Ronald J. Sokol

  University of Colorado Denver

  28 shared

• Christopher Sciales

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  25 shared

• C E Tobin

  25 shared

• Elizabeth Knobler

  Columbia University

  25 shared

• Mervin Silverberg

  25 shared

• Neil S. Sadick

  Cornell University

  25 shared

• Maureen B. Poh‐Fitzpatrick

  Columbia University

  25 shared

• Edith Zaider

  Columbia University

  25 shared

Education

• PhD, Population Health Sciences

  University of Wisconsin Madison

  2018