Yonatan Ben-Shalom is a principal researcher and project director with more than 15 years of experience designing and leading policy evaluations and statistical studies on employment, disability, and health programs.
His research applies quantitative and econometric methods—including experimental, quasi-experimental, and Bayesian analysis—to evaluate early intervention and return-to-work initiatives and to improve the precision of disability-related data.
Dr. Ben-Shalom currently directs the evaluation of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN), a multi-state demonstration testing evidence-based strategies to improve workforce retention and return-to-work outcomes following injury or illness. From 2013 to 2016, he directed DOL’s Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work Policy Collaborative, which informed the design and launch of RETAIN.
Dr. Ben-Shalom’s research has advanced understanding of state-level variation in disability program participation, the use of predictive analytics to identify at-risk workers, and the potential of system-level reforms to better align employment and benefit supports. Dr. Ben-Shalom has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, including Health Affairs, Demography, and the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Johns Hopkins University and is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.
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