Dr. Gretchen A. Piatt is the Elizabeth Farrand Professor and Chair of the Department of Learning Health Sciences at the University of Michigan Medical School and Professor of Health Behavior and Health Equity at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. A nationally recognized leader in diabetes translational research, implementation science, and learning health systems, Dr. Piatt has spent more than two decades advancing the science of how evidence is translated into practice to improve health and health care.
Dr. Piatt has built and sustained a continuously funded program of research focused on transforming the delivery of care for people living with diabetes and those at risk for developing the disease. Her work spans the behavioral and psychosocial dimensions of chronic disease management, implementation of evidence-based interventions in real-world settings, and the design of health systems that continuously learn and improve. She has led large, multidisciplinary teams conducting pragmatic trials across community organizations, federally qualified health centers, primary care practices, and health systems, with a particular emphasis on developing approaches that are effective, scalable, and sustainable.
Dr. Piatt is Co-Director of the Michigan Center for Diabetes Translational Research and the Michigan Embedded Learning Health Systems Scientist Training and Research (MEL-STaR) Center, two major interdisciplinary programs that bring together investigators, health system leaders, clinicians, community partners, and trainees to accelerate innovation in health and health care. Across these roles, she has been a champion of team science, mentorship, and the development of the next generation of translational scientists.
As Chair of the nation’s first Department of Learning Health Sciences, Dr. Piatt leads a multidisciplinary community working to advance the science and practice of learning health systems. Her leadership is focused on strengthening the connections among discovery, data, implementation, education, and health care delivery; building partnerships across traditional disciplinary and organizational boundaries; and accelerating the development of health systems that learn from every patient and every encounter to continuously improve care and outcomes.