Author: Department of Surgery

The following Department of Surgery faculty members were recently promoted:

Jairam R. Eswara, MD, of the Division of Urology to assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School.

 

Jennifer L. Irani, MD, of the Division of General and Gastrointestinal Surgery to assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School.

 

Gita Mody, MD, MPH, of the Division of Thoracic Surgery to assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School.

 

Matthew A. Nehs, MD, of the Division of General and Gastrointestinal Surgery to assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School.

 

Joel S. Weissman, PhD, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for his study “Identifying barriers, facilitators and outcomes of Advanced Care Planning conversations with Medicare patients“.

The study will use both quantitative and qualitative methods to provide a unique scientific examination of the use of Advanced Care Planning (ACP) discussions and their impact on the intensity and outcomes of care received by seriously ill patients nearing the end of life.

Joel S. Weissman, PhD
Deputy Director and Chief Scientific Officer, Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Professor of Surgery (Health Policy), Harvard Medical School

Joel S. Weissman, PhD, is deputy director and chief scientific officer of the Center for Surgery and Public Health (CSPH) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of surgery in health policy at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Weissman received his doctorate in health policy from the Pew Fellows Program at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management – Brandeis University. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles and has led numerous externally funded studies.

In addition to surgical health services, his research interests lie in the areas of patient-centered quality and safety, payment reform, disparities/vulnerable populations, uncompensated care, drug policy, comparative effectiveness research policy, and academic-industry relationships. He was the lead evaluator for the roll-out of Consumer’s Union Best Buy Drugs program, and his early work on access to care by the uninsured led to a co-authored book, “Falling Through the Safety Net: Insurance Status and Access to Care,” with a forward by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

During 2008-10, Dr. Weissman served as senior health policy advisor to the secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (HHS), followed by two months as visiting faculty at the Mexico National Institute of Public Health in Cuernavaca. During his time with Massachusetts HHS, he led the planning effort for a multi-million dollar statewide all-payer medical home pilot and examined the budgetary impact of universal health coverage in Massachusetts (NEJM perspective). In addition, he provided strategic thinking on public reporting of re-hospitalizations, non-payment for serious reportable events, improving care transitions, comparative effectiveness research and reducing racial and ethnic disparities.

Dr. Weissman is co-director of a course on health services research methods at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (portions of which have been taught in Singapore, Puerto Rico and Mexico), and serves as a tutor/seminar leader in the health policy course for HMS students.