Professor, Economist

Stuart H. Altman is the Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy at Brandeis University. He has an M.A. and Ph.D. degree in Economics from UCLA and taught at Brown University and the Graduate School of Public Policy at University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Altman is an economist whose research interests are primarily in the area of federal and state health policy. In 2006, Health Affairs listed him among the authors of the 25 Most-Read Health Affairs Papers and 25 Most-Read Health Affairs Papers Overall online. Modern Healthcare, Celebrating 30 years, listed Stuart Altman among the 30 people who have had the most influence on healthcare over the past 30 years; and, for the past six years, they named him among the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare. In June 2004, he was awarded the AcademyHealth Distinguished Investigator Award. From 2000-2002 he was Co-Chair for the Legislative Health Care Task Force for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1997, he was appointed by President Clinton to the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. Dr. Altman was Dean of The Florence Heller Graduate School from 2005 until 2008; and 1977 until July 1993. And, from 1990-1991 he was interim President of Brandeis University. He served as the Chairman of the congressionally legislated Prospective Payment Assessment Commission for twelve years. ProPac was responsible for advising the U.S. Congress and the Administration on the functioning of the Medicare Diagnostic Related Group (DRG) Hospital Payment System and other system reforms. Dr. Altman is a member of The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences; a member of the Board of Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts; and, Co Chairman of the Advisory Board to the Schneider Institute for Health Policy at The Heller School for Social Policy & Management, Brandeis University. In addition, Dr. Altman has served on the Board of The Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program and on the Governing Council of The Institute of Medicine. He is Chair of The Council on Health Care Economics and Policy, a private non-partisan group whose mission is to analyze important economic aspects of the U.S. health care system and evaluate proposed changes in the system. He is also Chair of The Health Industry Forum which brings together diverse group leaders from across the health care field to develop solutions for critical problems facing the healthcare system. Between 1971 and 1976, Dr. Altman was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation/Health at HEW. While serving in that position, he was one of the principal contributors to the development and advancement of the Administration’s National Health Insurance proposal. From 1973 to 1974 he also served as the Deputy Director for Health of the President’s Cost-of-Living Council where he was responsible for developing the Council’s program on health care cost containment.