Ben Sommers
Huntley Quelch Professor of Health Care Economics
Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Departments
Department of Health Policy and Management
Other Positions
Professor of Medicine
Medicine-Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Related Links
Biography
Dr. Sommers is a health economist and a physician whose main research interests are health policy for vulnerable populations, the uninsured, and the health care safety net. He is the Huntley Quelch Professor of Health Care Economics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has received numerous awards for his research, including the Outstanding Dissertation Award, Alice Hersh New Investigator Award, the 2015 Article-of-the-Year Award, and the 2017 Health Services Research Impact Award from AcademyHealth, a preeminent national association of health policy researchers; and the Outstanding Junior Investigator Award from the Society of General Internal Medicine. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2019. His research has been published in leading journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Journal of Health Economics, and Health Affairs. His research has been profiled in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and National Public Radio. He has testified before Congress and advised state Medicaid programs.
Dr. Sommers has served in the federal government in multiple leadership roles. In January 2021, he was appointed by President Biden as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and he served in that role until early 2023. From 2022-2023, he was appointed to lead ASPE as the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary. Previously, he served as a Senior Advisor in ASPE from 2011-2016, and he served in a part-time capacity as a Senior Counselor to the Assistant Secretary in 2023.
He received a PhD in Health Policy from Harvard and an MD from Harvard Medical School.
Teaching
HPM 211: The Health Care Safety Net and Vulnerable Populations
Course Catalog Description
Course Webpage (HarvardKey Login Required)
HPM 545: Economics of Health Care: Public vs. Market Resolutions
Course Catalog Description
Course Webpage (HarvardKey Login Required)
U.S. Health Policy (Harvard X Open Enrollment Course), Medicaid Lecture
Course Webpage (Free registration)
Education and Training
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BA, English
Princeton University -
PhD, Health Policy (Economics Concentration)
Harvard University -
MD, Medicine
Harvard Medical School -
, Residency - Internal Medicine & Primary Care
Brigham & Women's Hospital
Awards and Honors
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Roger L. Nichols Excellence in Teaching Award, 2024
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health -
ScholarGPS #1 Ranked Scholar on Health Insurance, 2023
ScholarGPS.com -
CMS Program Impact Award, 2022
Center for Medicare & Medicare Services -
National Academy of Medicine - Elected Member, 2019
National Academy of Medicine -
AcademyHealth Impact Award for Health Services Research, 2017
AcademyHealth -
AcademyHealth Alice Hersh New Investigator Award, 2015
AcademyHealth -
AcademyHealth Article of the Year Award, 2015
AcademyHealth -
SGIM Outstanding Junior Investigator, 2015
Society for General internal Medicine -
Teaching Citation, 2013
Harvard School of Public Health -
Hamolsky Award, 2012
Society for General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting -
Best Oral Presentation in Scientific Abstracts, 2011
Society for General Internal Medicine, New England Region -
Faculty Mentor Award, 2011
Brigham & Women’s Department of Medicine -
Best Residents and Fellows at Harvard Medical School, 2010
Harvard Medical School -
Resident Mentor Award, 2010
Brigham & Women’s Department of Medicine -
Robert Ebert Award in Primary Care Medicine, 2007
Harvard Medical School -
Daniel E. Ford Award in Health Services Research, 2007
Johns Hopkins, Division of General Medicine -
AcademyHealth National Dissertation Award , 2006
AcademyHealth
