AcademyHealth joins with our members and all those touched by the brilliance and wit of Uwe Reinhardt in mourning the news of his passing.
A titan in the field of health care economics, Dr. Reinhardt was a beloved teacher and mentor, and a gifted translator of evidence to serve the public interest. In so many ways, he reflected the best aspects of our mission to move evidence into action.
As an organization and a field, we directly benefited from his leadership on the AcademyHealth board of directors and it was our honor to recognize him with the Distinguished Investigator award in 2004. His brilliance as a researcher and facility for explaining the work with color and flair were topped only by the generosity of his spirit. Who else could get thousands of research and policy wonks guffawing with such gusto at his irreverent observations of what this country could or should do to address healthcare challenges?
We have lost more than leader; we mourn our friend.
We, as an organization and as a voice for the field, are indebted to Uwe for the gift of his scholarship, his kindness, and his humor. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this sad time.