AcademyHealth was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Dr. Stuart H. Altman, the Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy, Emeritus at Brandeis, who died January 1, 2026. Stu was widely regarded as one of the founding leaders of what is now AcademyHealth, and was a towering figure in health services research — a rigorous scholar, a trusted advisor to multiple administrations, and a tireless builder of institutions that helped the field find its voice in Washington and beyond.
We are eternally grateful for his central role in creating a national community of health services researchers. Working with colleagues such as Clif Gaus, William Pierskalla, Philip Lee and others, he helped move the idea of an independent professional association from discussion to reality. He and his colleagues recognized early that HSR needed an organized presence to defend funding, translate research for policy, and elevate the field’s influence. Together, they organized and launched Association for Health Services Research (AHSR). In a 1998 journal article another founding leader, Dr. Steve Shortell, reflected that it was Stu who initially recommended the Association’s original executive director, Alice Hersh, to lead the fledgling organization. That early leadership choice helped AHSR grow quickly — hiring Hersh in 1982, convening 350 attendees at its first annual meeting in 1984, and ultimately merging with the Alpha Center in 2000 to form what we now know as AcademyHealth.
Beyond institution‑building, Stu’s substantive contributions — from his service as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at HEW to chairing the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission and advising state and federal policymakers — advanced how we study, measure, and reform health care delivery. He taught and mentored generations of students and colleagues, bringing intellectual rigor, practical wisdom, and characteristic warmth to every engagement. Even after retirement he remained engaged with AcademyHealth and the field he helped build.
We mourn his loss and celebrate a life that strengthened health services research and left AcademyHealth and the broader policy community far better organized and more influential. Our condolences to his family, colleagues, and the many students and mentees who carry forward his work.