Jessie Gruman is the founder and president of the Center for the Advancement of Health, an independent, nonpartisan Washington-based policy institute funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation and others.
Since it was established in 1992 the Center has worked to translate health research into effective policy and practice. The Center focuses specifically on ensuring that evidence of the influence of social, behavioral and economic factors on health is used in efforts to prevent, manage and treat disease. Dr. Gruman has worked on this same set of concerns in the private sector (AT&T), the public sector (National Institutes of Health) and the voluntary health sector (American Cancer Society).
She received her undergraduate degree from Vassar College and her Ph.D. in social psychology from Columbia University. She serves on the boards of trustees of the National Health Council, the Public Health Institute, the Sallan Foundation, and the Center for Information Therapy, among others.
Dr. Gruman is a Visiting Professor at The George Washington University School of Public Health, a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and has received the Society’s awards for distinguished service and “Leadership in Translation of Research to Practice.” She was recognized for outstanding service from the American Psychological Association and was honored by Research!America for her leadership in advocacy for health research. She is the recipient of an honorary doctorate in public policy from Carnegie Mellon University and the Presidential Medal of The George Washington University. She served as the Executive in Residence at Vassar College and serves on the editorial board of The Annals of Family Medicine, and is a member of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Dr. Gruman is the author of numerous articles and essays published in the scholarly and public media. Her book for the general public, After Shock: What to Do When the Doctor Gives You – or Someone You Love – a Devastating Diagnosis (Walker Publishing, 2007) is about how people use scientific information to make decisions about their healthcare.
For further biographical information, see Who’s Who in America (60th Edition).