A. Everette James

Health law and policy, comparative effectiveness, delivery systems research, and social determinants of health research.

Everette James is the M. Allen Pond Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Graduate School of Public Health as well as Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Policy and Planning for the Schools of the Health Sciences. James also serves as director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Health Policy Institute (HPI), where he works with government, foundation, and individual funders to support the Institute’s interdisciplinary research and programs.

Before joining Pitt, he served as the 25th Pennsylvania Secretary of Health and oversaw the regulation of all of the hospitals, nursing homes and managed care plans in the Commonwealth. He was responsible for managing the Department of Health’s 1700 employees and nearly $1b annual budget, and chaired and served on many statewide boards and commissions including the Pennsylvania Health Policy Board, Health Research Advisory Committee and Health Care Cost Containment Council. He was responsible for carrying out the disease surveillance and prevention programs that protect the health of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable citizens. As Senior Advisor for Health and Pensions to the Governor of Pennsylvania and then as Secretary of Health, James formulated policy, drafted and negotiated legislation and implemented laws and regulations including the state’s first smoking ban (Clean Indoor Air Act), healthcare-associated infection law (Act 52), regulations expanding health professionals’ scope of practice and new nutrition and physical activity standards for Pennsylvania school children aimed at reducing the prevalence of childhood obesity.

Prior to his service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, James was a partner in the Washington, D.C office of the LeBoeuf, Lamb law firm with a practice centered on insurance and healthcare corporate and regulatory matters. He also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Service Industries and Finance at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Professor James’ research interests center around his state and federal public policy experience in health law and regulation, cost-effectiveness, and the translation of research into policy and practice. James conducts health services research and also leads the new Pitt Healthy Home Lab which designs and develops assistive and smart home technology and new service models to support aging-in-place for seniors and persons with disabilities.