About

Dr. Lydia Gan earned her Ph D. degree in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin; and earned both her Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.  She has over 34 years of higher education teaching and research experience and has been with the University of North Carolina at Pembroke for 15 years.

She is also the co-author (with Frank, Bernanke, and Chen) of The Principles of Economics (2009), Asian Edition, McGrawHill, a textbook widely used by Economics students throughout Asia -- in countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Indonesia. The textbook has also been translated into Chinese language.  

Her research has appeared in a number of leading academic journals, including The Economics e-Journal, Review of Applied Economics, Academy of Economics and Finance Journal, Healthcare Marketing Quarterly, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, Information and Management, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, and Journal of Asia-Pacific Business, etc. 

Dr. Gan's current research interests in medical tourism include the four modes of medical tourism, focusing on estimating its demand and cost comparisons across countries and regions, and consumers’ motivation and impediments to medical tourism.  She is also interested in the industrial organizational aspects and strategic partnership of key market players such as medical tourism facilitators, U.S. and foreign healthcare providers, and U.S. employers and insurance companies.  Her other research interests are in profiling of consumer behavior, and Internet pricing behavior.

Her work on medical tourism has received international acclaim. She was invited to speak on her research at The Annual World Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress in November of 2013.  She has been consulted by various organizations including insurance companies, medical tourism facilitators, and independent research agencies.  She has conducted research interviews relating to medical tourism with hospitals in a number of countries, including South Africa, Jordan, Turkey, Singapore, and Malaysia, and is currently working on a book based on her interviews. (updated May 6, 2021)