WASHINGTON (March 9, 2023) — The Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University has named Joseph E. Pierle of the Missouri Primary Care Association (MPCA) as the 2023 Geiger Gibson Program Distinguished Visitor.
The Distinguished Visitor Program recognizes leaders in the health center movement who have made vast contributions to community health centers and medically underserved communities throughout their careers. Each year, the Geiger Gibson Program selects a Distinguished Visitor to share their experience and insights with students, faculty, and staff at the George Washington University through an in-residence lectureship and campus visit. Geiger Gibson Distinguished Visitors represent the finest in health center leadership.
The MPCA represents Missouri’s Community Health Centers and serves as a voice for the medically underserved. A native Missourian, Pierle was appointed as MPCA’s Chief Executive Officer in 1999. Prior to this position, he worked for United States Senator Christopher S. Bond, serving as an advisor on issues concerning health, children, the elderly, and veterans. Pierle also serves as chief executive officer of Missouri Health Plus, a Clinically Integrated Network (CIN) of Federally Qualified Health Centers and Community Mental Health Centers. The CIN focuses on leveraging value-based care agreements with payers and the state Medicaid agency.
Pierle received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Kansas and a Masters in
Public Administration from George Mason University. He has also completed health care executive certificate programs at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
“The Distinguished Visitor program provides a fantastic opportunity for students, faculty and staff in the School’s Department of Health Policy and Management to engage with and learn from senior health center policy and practice leaders from across the country” Feygele Jacobs, Director of the Geiger Gibson Program at the Milken Institute SPH, said. “Joseph Pierle’s contributions to health centers and health care access distinguish him as a leading voice in community-based health care, and we are delighted to welcome him.”
The Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health is a special initiative of Milken Institute SPH, named in honor of Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, pioneers in community health practice and tireless advocates for civil and human rights. Housed in the School’s Department of Health Policy and Management the Geiger Gibson Program has worked since 2004 to help eliminate medical underservice and disparities in population health through education, training and research projects.
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