Daniel Eisenberg, PhD, is the director of mental health at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and a professor of health policy and management in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Eisenberg is also a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Prior to arriving at UCLA, he was a faculty member at University of Michigan from 2004–2020.
Eisenberg’s goal in research is to improve understanding of how to invest effectively in the mental health of young people. He directs the Healthy Minds Network (HMN) for Research on Adolescent and Young Adult Mental Health. This research network administers the Healthy Minds Study, a national survey study of student mental health and related factors and facilitates the development, testing, and dissemination of innovative programs and interventions for student mental health. He is currently writing a book about investments in children’s mental health.
Eisenberg has a BA and a PhD in economics from Stanford University. He conducted his postdoctoral research in mental health services at the University of California, Berkeley.
Daniel Eisenberg, a health policy and management professor, said the pandemic contributed to a significant, but not massive, increase in mental illness diagnoses. "We see about twice as many students that are reporting symptoms of depression or anxiety, but there's also a positive trend to that," Eisenberg said. "Students are reporting that they're using mental health services, which typically includes therapy or medication, so that there is an expansion of access to health care.