October 25, 2022

Contact: Nina Grigoriev
ngrigoriev@petersonhealthcare.org

Nationally-Recognized Leader Brings Decades of Experience in Data-Driven Healthcare Transformation

NEW YORK (October 25, 2022) — The Peterson Center on Healthcare has named Caroline Pearson as its new Executive Director. Ms. Pearson, a nationally-recognized expert in healthcare innovation and systems change, will lead the Center’s portfolio of initiatives and grants aimed at working to transform U.S. healthcare into a high-performance system by finding innovative solutions that improve quality and lower costs.

Currently, Ms. Pearson is Senior Vice President for Healthcare Strategy at NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization. Prior to her work at NORC, Ms. Pearson spent 14 years at Avalere Health as the Senior Vice President of Policy and Strategy, where she worked with Fortune 500 companies, patient groups and other healthcare stakeholders to solve complex business and policy challenges. She brings deep policy expertise across a wide range of critical areas, including Medicare, Medicaid, private health insurance, prescription drugs, the Affordable Care Act, and aging issues.

“We are very pleased to welcome Caroline, whose strategic vision and data-driven approach will bolster the Center’s work to lower costs and improve outcomes in U.S. healthcare,” said Michael A. Peterson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. “Caroline’s comprehensive understanding of the complex healthcare delivery ecosystem and her track record of identifying, validating and scaling innovative solutions make her a perfect match for the Center’s mission.”

“Healthcare is uniquely complex and inefficient in the United States, and there’s no more important issue for our nation’s physical health or economy,” said Ms. Pearson. “I am thrilled to join the talented team at the Peterson Center on Healthcare, helping to further our work together to ensure healthcare affordability and quality for every American.”

Ms. Pearson will begin in her new role on January 9, 2023. She succeeds Dr. Jay Want M.D., who has led the Center since 2017. Under Dr. Want’s leadership, the Center has made significant advances in its work to improve data transparency, reduce state healthcare cost growth, and address market shortages for lifesaving medications. Dr. Want will continue to work with the Center going forward in an advisory role.

For more information about the Peterson Center on Healthcare, visit petersonhealthcare.org.

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About the Peterson Center on Healthcare
The Peterson Center on Healthcare is a non-profit organization dedicated to making higher quality, more affordable healthcare a reality for all Americans. The organization is working to transform U.S. healthcare into a high-performance system by finding innovative solutions that improve quality and lower costs, and accelerating their adoption on a national scale. Established by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, the Center collaborates with stakeholders across the healthcare system and engages in grant-making, partnerships, and research.