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Deputy Assistant Director

Bureau, Office or Division
Antitrust
Phone
(202) 326-3652
Email Address
kbrand@ftc.gov

Selected Publications

  • "Upward Pricing Pressure in Mergers where Prices are Determined through Joint Bargaining," with Chris V. Lau, Revise and Resubmit, Journal of Industrial Economics, 2024.
  • "In the Shadow of Antitrust Enforcement: Price Effects of Hospital Mergers from 2009-2016," with Chris Garmon and Ted Rosenbaum, Journal of Law & Economics, 2023.
  • "Economics at the FTC: Estimating Harm from Deception and Analyzing Mergers," with Michael Vita, Miriam Larson‑Koester, Nathan Petek, Charles Taragin, William Violette, and Daniel H. Wood, Review of Industrial Organization, 2022.
  • "Simulating Hospital Merger Simulations," with David J. Balan, Journal of Industrial Economics, 2022.
  • "A Review of the Economic Literature on Cross-Market Healthcare Mergers," with Ted Rosenbaum, Antitrust Law Journal, 2019.
  • "Economic Fundamentals: Competitive Effects," American Bar Association Fundamentals of Antitrust Economics Series, 2016. 
  • "Economics at the FTC: Office Supply Retailers Redux, Healthcare Quality Efficiencies Analysis, and Litigation of an Alleged Get-Rich-Quick Scheme," with Martin Gaynor, Patrick McAlvanah, David Schmidt, and Elizabeth Schneirov, Review of Industrial Organization, 2014.
  • "Hospital Merger Simulation," with Chris Garmon, American Hospital Lawyers Association Member Briefing, 2014. 
  • "Economics at the FTC: Hospital Mergers, Authorized Generic Drugs, and Consumer Credit Markets," with Joe Farrell, David Balan, and Brett Wendling, Review of Industrial Organization, 2011.

Selected Presentations

  • Upward Pricing Pressure in Mergers where Prices are Determined through Joint Bargaining. American Society of Health Economists Conference. San Diego, CA (2024)
  • In the Shadow of Antitrust Enforcement: Price Effects of Hospital Mergers from 2009-2016. International Industrial Organization Conference (IIOC). Washington, DC (2023)
  • Panel: "“Cross Market” Provider Mergers (Chair)," FTC Microeconomics Conference. Washington, DC (2017)
  • Quantitative Methods in Unilateral Effects Analysis. Argentine Commission for the Defense of Competition. Buenos Aires, Argentina (2016)
  • Economic Fundamentals: Competitive Effects. American Bar Association Fundamentals of Antitrust Economics Series. Washington, DC (2016)

Selected Casework

Staples/Office Depot
Dollar Tree, Inc./Family Dollar Stores, Inc., In the Matter of
OSF Healthcare System, and Rockford Health System, In the Matter of
Promedica Health System, Inc.
Universal Health Services, Inc., Psychiatric Solutions, Inc., and Alan B. Miller, In the Matter of
Inova Health Systems Foundation and Prince William Health System, Inc., In the Matter of
Whole Foods Market, Inc., and Wild Oats Markets, Inc., In the Matter of
CoStar Group / RentPath Holdings, In the Matter of
Edgewell Personal Care Company and Harry's, Inc.
Lifespan/CNE, In the Matter of
Novant Health, Inc. and Community Health Systems, Inc., In the Matter of

Selected Reports

Economics at the FTC: Estimating Harm from Deception and Analyzing Mergers
Economics at the FTC: Office Supply Retailers Redux, Healthcare Quality Efficiencies Analysis, and Litigation of an Alleged Get-Rich-Quick Scheme
Simulating Hospital Merger Simulations
Economics at the FTC: Hospital Mergers, Authorized Generic Drugs, and Consumer Credit Markets

Education

University of Virginia
PhD Economics
University of Virginia
MA Economics
University of Minnesota
BS Economics, Mathematics
University of Minnesota
BM Music Performance

Fields of Interest

  • Industrial Organization
  • Antitrust
  • Health Economics

Professional Experience

Deputy Assistant Director
Federal Trade Commission
2024-Present

Economic Advisor to Commissioner R. K. Slaughter
Federal Trade Commission 
2018-2021

Economist
Federal Trade Commission
2006-2024

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