Rachel Werner MD, PhD

Robert D. Eilers Professor of Health Care Management, Wharton School
Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine
(Moderator)

Dr. Rachel Werner is the Robert D. Eilers Professor of Health Care Management at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine. She is the Executive Director of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and a practicing physician at the Philadelphia VA. She is also a core investigator with the VA Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D) Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion. Over the last two decades, Dr. Werner has built a foundational research program examining the effects of healthcare payment and financing on healthcare delivery, including the unintended consequences of payment incentives designed to improve health care quality. Her research has been published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals. Beyond publication, Dr. Werner has influenced policy as a member of numerous panels advising state and federal governments and national organizations, including the National Quality Forum’s Expert Panel on Risk Adjustment and Socioeconomic Status and an advisor to the federal government on quality measurement and quality improvement incentives. Dr. Werner has received numerous awards for her work, including the Alice Hersh New Investigator Award from AcademyHealth, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and the American Federation of Medical Research Outstanding Investigator Award. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree from Macalester College, and her medical degree and doctoral degree in Health Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.