Washington, D.C. — Center for American Progress Vice President for Health Policy Topher Spiro issued the following statement announcing the former secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, as a Visiting Senior Fellow for the Health Policy team.
Maryland has long been considered one of the most forward-thinking and innovative states when it comes to health care cost containment. Under Dr. Sharfstein’s leadership, the state’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene continued to innovate and improve its model for hospital payments reform. His will be an incredibly well-respected voice, bringing valuable hands-on experience to CAP’s efforts to work with other states to implement new policies to contain health care costs. Dr. Sharfstein has experience at the local, state, and federal levels, giving him an understanding of the entire health care landscape that will be invaluable to CAP’s work.
In addition to being a former Maryland health secretary, Sharfstein has served as the principal deputy commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and as the commissioner of health for the city of Baltimore. He is currently the associate dean for public health practice and training at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, contact Tom Caiazza at [email protected] or 202.481.7141.