Jay Himmelstein, M.D., M.P.H.

Jay Himmelstein, M.D., MPH, is a Professor of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Family Medicine and Community Health, and Internal Medicine. He also serves as Chief Health Policy Strategist at ForHealth Consulting (formerly CommonWealth Medicine) at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. His professional career in research, policy development, and service has been dedicated to improving health care and health outcomes for those served by the public sector. He has placed special emphasis on Medicaid programs and health services for people with disabilities and is a nationally recognized physician, educator, and health services researcher. Dr. Himmelstein’s most recent work has focused on the intersection of health policy and information technology, improving coordination of care and transitioning from fee-for-service to value-based payments in Medicaid programs, and leveraging University partnerships with Medicaid agencies to facilitate health system transformation.
Dr. Himmelstein has served as a health policy advisor and strategist at the state and national level for more than 30 years. He was appointed as the physician representative to the Massachusetts Public Health Council by Governor Dukakis in 1988 and served as a Robert Wood Johnson National Health Policy Fellow on the health staff of Senator Edward M. Kennedy from 1991-1994. Jay has participated in numerous state and national health reform initiatives focusing on expanding access and improving the quality and range of services offered to vulnerable populations and those with disabilities through policy, research, evaluation, and advocacy. An elected member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, Dr. Himmelstein has also served as an expert consultant to the Social Security Administration and to the Institute of Medicine.
Dr. Himmelstein first joined UMass Chan as an Assistant Professor in 1983 and has held numerous leadership positions, including Assistant Chancellor for Health Policy and founding Director of the Center for Health Policy and Research. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and technical reports and has been the principal investigator on more than 40 grants and contracts from state and federal sources at UMass Chan.
Dr. Himmelstein is board certified in internal medicine and occupational and environmental health/preventive medicine. He received his bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, and his medical degree from the University of Maryland Medical School. He received Masters degrees in Public Health and Physiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.