Jeff Levi, professor of health policy and management, retired from GWSPH on June 30 and began his life as an emeritus professor on July 1.
Professor Levi’s career has been dedicated to the intersection of public health, the health care system, and the multi-sector collaborations that are required to improve health. He is nationally known as a public health policy expert and is sought after by government officials and private funders alike for his strategic sense and expertise in emergency and non-emergency responses, particularly at a national level.
“We celebrate Jeff’s many significant contributions -- to our school and university, to the field of academic public health and health policy, and to policies that have lifted the health of millions across the US,” said Lynn Goldman, Dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health. “Jeff’s intellectual rigor, ability to translate complex policy issues into actionable solutions, and devotion to students have made him one of our school's best scholars and most valued faculty members. He will be sorely missed[SD1] !”
Prior to joining GW in 1997, he was the Deputy Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy under the White House Domestic Policy Council. In this role, he made key policy decisions regarding programs, budgets, and policies for all federal agencies. Before joining the White House staff, he was Director of Public Policy and Program Development for the AIDS Action Foundation/AIDS Action Council following two years as its Director of Government Affairs. He was also Director of Governmental and Political Affairs and then Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task force in the mid-1980s.
Professor Levi was co-director of the Center for Health Services Research and Policy between 1999 and 2002 and became its managing director for one year in 2002-2003. Later on, he was Executive Director of Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) for almost 10 years during which time he led the organization’s advocacy efforts to modernize the U.S. public health system. Under his leadership, TFAH assumed a lead role in the development and enactment of the Affordable Care Act and its emphasis on prevention, services and funding. He currently leads as Director of the Funders Forum on Accountable Health, which brings together public and private funders supporting initiatives addressing the social determinants of health in the context of a reforming health care system.
“Jeff’s passion and dedication to policy and population health has been a great inspiration to all of us,” said Anne Markus, professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management. “We thank him for his leadership in the field of public health and for providing students with his knowledge in the classroom.”
While at GWSPH, Professor Levi has contributed significant service to the university as a faculty member, particularly when the School of Public Health was housed within the Medical Center. He was a member of the GW IRB in 2004-2008, a member of the Medical Center Faculty Senate Research Committee in 2001-2006, and a member of the School of Public Health and Health Services Research and Graduate Admissions Committees (2004-2006).
Since 2003 he has been an active member of the Department of Health Policy and Management’s Curriculum Committee. In 2004, he co-chaired the School’s Core Policy Course Development Committee and was a member of the Milken Institute School of Public Health Curriculum Committee between 2016 and 2019 and assumed the role of chair in 2018-2019.
Professor Levi has received multiple recognitions, including being honored with the APHA Executive Director Citation in 2012 and the 2012 Directors of Health Promotion and Education, Health Promotion and Education Advocacy Award. Levi was appointed by President Obama to the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health, which he chaired from 2011-2016. During Spring of 2022, he was invited as one of four staffers for the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a National Public Health System. He recently completed a five-year tenure, including the fifth and final year as chair, on the Board of Directors of the Institute for Public Health Innovation, a DC-based nonprofit.
“My 25-plus years were definitely an ‘only at GW’ experience – where I was able to combine teaching, research, and active engagement with policy making in a way that is unique for academic institutions,” said Jeff Levy.