Gail Wilensky, PhD

Economist, Congressional Advisor, International Speaker

Dr. Gail R. Wilensky, Ph.D. serves as an Advisor to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Commonwealth Fund. From March 1992 to January 1993, Dr. Wilensky served in the Bush Administration as Deputy Assistant to the President for Policy Development, responsible for advising the President on Health and Welfare issues. Prior to her tenure in the White House, from January 1990 to March 1992, she served as an Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) in the Department of Health and Human Services, where she directed the Medicare and Medicaid programs. She served as a Consultant of BB&T Capital Markets|Windsor Group. From April 1983 to January 1990, she served as Vice President of Division of Health Affairs of Project HOPE, since 1993. She has been Co-Chair of the President’s Task Force to Improve Health Care for the Nation’s Veterans since May 2001. From 1997 to 2001, Dr. Wilensky served as the Chairman of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. From 1995 to 1997, she chaired the Physician Payment Review Commission, which advised Congress on Physician Payment and other Medicare issues. She serves as a Vice Chair of the Maryland Health Care Commission. She has been a Director of BrainScope Company, Inc. since October 2009. She has been a Director for Quest Diagnostics Inc. since January 1997 and an Independent Director of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated since 1993. She has been a Director of Manor Care, Inc. since September 1998, Cephalon Inc. since 2002, Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services Corporation (formerly, Shared Medical Systems Corp.) since 1996 and Hoechst Marion Roussel Inc. (formerly, Marion Merrell Dow Inc.) since July 1994. She has been a Director of HCR ManorCare, Inc. since September 1998. She serves as a Trustee of The United States Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc. She serves as a Member of the Board of Regents at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She serves as a Director of Coram Healthcare Corporation. Dr. Wilensky serves as a Director of St. Jude Medical and SMS Corporation. She serves as a Director of United Healthcare Corporation. She has been a Member of Advisory Board of Zix Corp. since January 2005. Dr. Wilensky has been Member of Strategic Advisory Board of Social & Scientific Systems, Inc. since 2008. She serves as a Member of Board of Regents of Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She serves as a trustee of the Combined Benefits Fund of the United Mineworkers of America, the American Heart Association, Research Triangle Institute and the National Opinion Research Center. She served as a Director of SRA International Inc., since December 23, 2005. Dr. Wilensky served as a Director of Capstone Pharmacy Services Inc. (formerly, PharMerica, Inc.) since August 1995. She served as a Director of Syncor International Corporation (now, Cardinal Health 414 Inc.), from 1993 to January 1, 2003 and Advanced Tissue Sciences Inc. (a Tissue Engineering Company) from January 1993 to March 31, 2003. She served as Director of Gentiva Health Services Inc. from March 2000 to May 14, 2009. She served as a Director of Neopath Inc. She serves as a Member of Commission on Social Determinants of Health at World Health Organization. She served President of the Defense Health Board, a Federal advisory board to the Secretary of Defense, from 2008 to 2009, advising the Department of Defense on health matters. She is an elected Member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and its Governing Council. She is an Economist. Dr. Wilensky has been the John M. Olin Senior Fellow at Project HOPE (an International Health Foundation) since January 1993. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan.