I am a physician-scientist and health technology executive working at the intersection of behavioral science, data science, and health care delivery. For more than two decades, my research has focused on a deceptively simple question: why doesn't our health care system consistently do what it already knows how to do — and what can be done about it at scale?
I have focused most specifically on medications — why patients don't adhere as intended, and why physicians don't consistently prescribe in line with scientific evidence and clinical practice guidelines. These are productive problems to study: the behaviors in question (taking and prescribing medications) are discrete and measurable; the evidence defining optimal from suboptimal practice is clear for many common conditions; patients engage in medication-taking many times each day; and the optimal use of medications has major implications for health care quality and the sustainability of the health care system.
Medications are my primary focus — but they represent one tractable example of a broader challenge. The same behavioral science and data science methods apply wherever clinicians and patients systematically fall short of what the evidence recommends: screening and vaccination, safe prescribing, surgical decision-making, chronic disease management. Closing this gap, at population scale, is the organizing challenge of my career.
Research
I am Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Professor in Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a member of the faculty since 2005. My work draws on techniques from health services research, artificial intelligence, epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioral economics, cognitive psychology, and implementation research to identify at-risk individuals and to develop scalable, yet personalized, interventions.
I have led dozens of large pragmatic trials in partnership with health insurers, delivery systems, and federal agencies across the United States:
- MI FREEE — value-based insurance design for post-MI medications
- STIC2IT, TARGIT, and ENGAGE — pharmacist-led programs for chronic disease management
- MOTIVATE — behaviorally designed outreach to increase vaccination
- REMIND — medication reminder devices
- MedISAFE-BP — smartphone application for blood pressure management
- REINFORCE — reinforcement learning–personalized messaging
- NUDGE-EHR — behavioral science–informed EHR tools for deprescribing
Leadership
I founded the Center for Healthcare Delivery Sciences (C4HDS) at Brigham and Women's Hospital and served as its director for over a decade; I remain its Emeritus Director. C4HDS continues its mission of using behavioral and data science to develop scalable solutions for health quality improvement.
I also founded and directed two NIH-funded research centers at Brigham and Women's Hospital. The Roybal Center for Therapeutic Optimization using Behavioral Science evaluated principle-driven interventions to improve medication adherence.
The Massachusetts AI and Technology Center (MassAITC) developed AI-enhanced tools to support healthy aging and dementia care at home for older adults and individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Through its competitive pilot program, MassAITC incubated dozens of pilot projects spanning wearable sensors, AI-powered monitoring, digital therapeutics, and large language model applications — in partnership with technology companies and academic innovators across the United States.
At Harvard Catalyst, I served as Director of Implementation Research and Education, Associate Director of the Postgraduate Education Program, and Co-Director of the Dissemination and Implementation Incubator.
Industry Experience
I am Chief Medical and Science Officer of RxAnte, a leading predictive analytics and clinical services company dedicated to improving medication use and health outcomes. I joined RxAnte as Chief Clinical and Scientific Advisor in 2020, became Chief Medical Officer in 2024, and expanded my role to Chief Medical and Science Officer in 2025 — serving on the executive team through a strategic growth investment from Primus Capital. I oversee clinical and product strategy, analytics, and provider engagement.
I also co-founded Decipher Health, an AI-enabled diabetes self-management platform, and Veracity Healthcare Analytics, a consultancy focused on rigorous, independent evaluation of healthcare quality improvement strategies.
Clinical practice
I practice inpatient internal medicine as a hospitalist at Brigham and Women's Hospital — work that keeps my research anchored in the day-to-day realities of patient care.
Awards & recognition
- Harvard University Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship
- Society of General Internal Medicine Mack Lipkin, Sr. Research Award
- National Institutes of Health Care Management Annual Research Award
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada K.J.R. Wightman Award for Research in Biomedical Ethics
- International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Award for Excellence in Application in Pharmacoeconomics and Health Outcomes Research
- Brigham and Women's Hospital George W. Thorn Award
- Brigham and Women's Hospital Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award
- Brigham and Women's Hospital Jean Jackson Distinguished Bedside Teacher Award
- Toronto General Hospital M.F.X. Glynn Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching
Education & training
Chief Medical Resident, Toronto General & Toronto Western Hospitals
Concentration: Statistics & Evaluative Sciences
Harvard Medical School
Current Academic and Clinical Appointments
Brigham and Women's Hospital