Harvard Doc To Head UM Center

A well-known Harvard University physician and researcher has been appointed as the first director for the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.

John Z. Ayanian, M.D., 52, will begin assuming the directorship next month. He is expected to be appointed as a professor at Michigan’s medical school in 2013. He currently holds faculty positions at both the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, and practices at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Ayanian has directed Harvard programs overseeing health disparities research, clinical and translational sciences, outcomes research for the Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center, and a fellowship in general medicine and primary care.

The institute includes a staff of more than 400 researchers from the University of Michigan and other organizations. It is expected to become a nationwide leader in terms of health research and the development of health policy.

“With experience in the clinical realm, and in the world of public policy, he's uniquely poised to ensure that the work of IHPI members translates into action to improve the way healthcare is provided, paid for and regulated," said Michigan Medical School Dean James O. Woolliscroft, M.D.

Ayanian will hold part-time appointments at both Harvard and Michigan until his transition to the latter is completed by late summer.