These experts are available to comment on the Affordable Care Act.
Maura George, MD
Dr. George is an assistant professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and cares for patients at Grady Memorial Hospital. Dr. George has always felt a calling to work for the under-served, and has harmony between this goal and her love for teaching at Grady. In her faculty position in Internal Medicine she finds satisfaction in addressing both the medical and social reasons for her patients' medical problems and teaching medical students and residents to do the same. Her interests are medical ethics, health care disparities, and patient advocacy. Dr. George helped develop the Social Medicine program which teaches medical students and residents about the social determinants of health, patient advocacy, global health, and cultural competency.
"The ACA is a step in the right direction towards a more effective and functional healthcare system in the United States. The law seeks to increase access to care by assisting Americans in affording quality health insurance. I believe where it has state-wide support and is implemented to its fullest potential, the ACA will improve the health and well-being of millions of Americans. We physicians tend to focus on the diagnosis and treatment plans that we spent so many years mastering, but to truly effect change in the health of our patients, it's equally important to address their social needs. If I prescribe the perfect list of medications, but my patient doesn't understand how to take them or can't afford to fill them, I haven't helped at all. In meeting patients where they are, and realizing their lives are complicated by more than just their medical problems, we can improve their health and the health of the community."
Media Contact:
juliette.merchant@emory.edu
404-778-1503 Office
David Howard, PhD
David Howard, PhD, is a faculty member in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. A health economist by training, Howard’s research employs economics and statistics to better understand physician decision-making and its implications for public policy. Howard has been an advisor or consultant to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, MEDPAC, The Institute of Medicine, American Cancer Society, and Department of Health and Human Services.
Media Contact:
Melva Robertson
melva.robertson@emory.edu
404-727-5692 Office, 404-416-0822 Mobile
Ruth Parker, MD
Dr. Ruth Parker is Professor of Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine. She is also Associate Director of the Faculty Development program in the Division of General Medicine, and holds a secondary appointment at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. Over the last 15 years, Dr. Parker has focused extensively on healthcare issues of underserved populations, particularly health literacy. She helped create a widely used measurement tool to quantify patients’ ability to read and understand health information. Dr. Parker currently serves as consultant and advisor to numerous federal agencies, professional societies, and members of industry on their initiatives related to health literacy.
Media Contact:
juliette.merchant@emory.edu
404-778-1503 Office
Ken Thorpe, PhD
Ken Thorpe is Robert W. Woodruff Professor and Chair in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. He also serves as the executive director of Emory’s Institute of Advanced Policy Solutions (IAPS) and director of the Institute’s Center for Entitlement Reform. He is a frequent national presenter and media resource on issues of health care financing, insurance, obesity’s affect on health care costs, and health care reform.
Media Contact:
Melva Robertson
melva.robertson@emory.edu
404-727-5692 Office, 404-416-0822 Mobile