Princeton economist Katherine Ho dies at 53

Katherine Ho, a Princeton University economics professor whose research reshaped how health care markets are analyzed, died Dec. 8, 2025. She was 53.

Ho joined the university in 2018 and co-led the Center for Health and Wellbeing at Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. Her work focused on insurer competition, hospital consolidation and drug pricing.

Economics Department Chair Wolfgang Pesendorfer called her “a brilliant scholar, a charismatic teacher and a devoted adviser.”

“Kate was a leading scholar of healthcare markets, and her research transformed the way economists analyze these markets,” Pesendorfer said.

Janet Currie, a longtime collaborator, said Ho was “a dream to work with — warm and funny, super thoughtful, and very organized.”

Born in York, England, Ho earned degrees from the University of Cambridge and Harvard University, and previously taught at Columbia University.

A memorial page has been created to honor Ho’s life and legacy.