Parekh to serve as IHPI policy faculty advisor

The University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation (IHPI) is pleased to welcome Anand Parekh, M.D., M.P.H., as senior faculty advisor for policy engagement and external relations. In this advisory role, he will provide strategic guidance to IHPI’s Policy Engagement and External Relations team, helping to shape and advance key initiatives such as the Impact Accelerator: Communications & Policy Training Program, the Policy Impact Awards, policy issue briefs, and events and programs that connect IHPI researchers with opportunities to engage in policy.

At the U-M School of Public Health, Parekh will serve as the inaugural Chief Health Policy Officer, where he will lead efforts to strengthen the school’s policy impact. He will also support Michigan Medicine’s advocacy and population health initiatives.

More about Anand Parekh

Republished from the School of Public Health. Read the original.

When Anand Parekh, B.A., M.P.H. ’02, M.D., was selected as the U-M School of Public Health’s inaugural chief health policy officer, it wasn't just a new job—it was a homecoming that represented the culmination of a remarkable career dedicated to transforming public health.

Parekh’s journey began in 1994 as part of an innovative medical program called Inteflex that would shape his entire professional trajectory. As a member of the first cohort of an 8-year program, he entered U-M with an uncommon vision: to understand health not just through individual patient care, but through broader systemic change.

“My career started with political science, went to public health, went to medicine, then public service, and now public policy,” said Parekh, who majored in Political Science, earned a Master of Public Health in Health Management and Policy and a Doctor of Medicine at Michigan. “It’s come full circle over the last 25 years.”

Throughout his career, this core value has consistently driven him: Improving population health requires a focused approach on prevention, primary care and public health. This philosophy has guided him from medical clinics to the highest levels of federal policymaking.

As a medical student, Parekh initially believed he would spend his career as a clinician. He trained in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital and worked at a clinic serving uninsured patients. But something deeper was calling him.

“What was really getting me up in the morning,” he said, “was this idea that through policy I could help not just one individual at a time, but perhaps hundreds or thousands, or even millions.”

This realization transformed his professional path. While he loved the one-on-one patient interactions, Parekh discovered he could create more significant impact through policy work. His unique background—combining medicine, public health and policy—became his greatest strength.

After a decade at the US Department of Health and Human Services, serving in both the Bush and Obama administrations, Parekh emerged as a respected voice in public health policy. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health for seven years and, briefly, as Acting Assistant Secretary for Health—the primary public health advisor to the HHS Secretary.

Since then, his work at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, DC, further solidified his reputation as a bridge-builder in a deeply divided political landscape. He led groundbreaking work on issues ranging from senior health and housing to opioid epidemic response to pandemic preparedness, always maintaining a belief in bipartisan approaches.

“What has really driven me throughout my career is finding mission-driven places with dedicated people,” Parekh said.

This commitment to collaboration has become even more critical in recent years due to the public’s lack of trust.

“After 23 years in DC influencing federal policy, I think the biggest challenge for our profession right now is answering the question: How do you build trust in public health, science and medicine?” Parekh said. “And building that trust, I think, necessitates that we start locally.”

His return to the University of Michigan as Chief Health Policy Officer at the School of Public Health represents more than a career move. It’s an opportunity to translate academic research into tangible policy impact, to mentor the next generation of public health leaders, and to demonstrate the critical role of higher education in solving society’s most pressing health challenges.

In his new role, Parekh is keenly aware of the evolving landscape of public health. The environment has changed dramatically in recent months, presenting both challenges and opportunities for Michigan Public Health.

“I’m not coming in with a rigid agenda,” he said. “While I have ideas, I feel it’s crucial to first understand what others think is needed and where I can be most helpful.”

His approach reflects a career-long commitment to listening and building consensus. While the vast majority of his time will be focused on the role as the school’s chief health policy officer, he also will support Michigan Medicine’s advocacy and population health efforts and serve as senior advisor for policy engagement and external relations to IHPI.

Parekh sees his mission as creating connections between research and policy, between academic disciplines, and between the university and the broader community.

“I’m looking forward to supporting our faculty and students during this challenging time,” he said.

This includes helping secure federal grants, finding job and internship opportunities, and ensuring that faculty can translate their research into meaningful policy impact.

Parekh’s vision extends beyond traditional academic boundaries. He’s passionate about building bridges between different schools and departments, including the Medical School, IHPI and the Ford School of Public Policy.

“Public health isn’t just about advising people which vaccine to take or reminding them to wear a mask,” he said. “It’s about ensuring clean air and water, safe food and roads, preventing infectious diseases, tackling addiction, and improving physical activity and nutrition.”

His approach to public health is deeply rooted in storytelling—using data and empathy to reestablish trust in science and medicine. Drawing from his extensive experience in Washington, Parekh believes that most policymakers want to do good, even if political pressures often complicate their efforts.

“I’ve learned that we have to work together—across political lines, across professions, across policy areas,” he said. “When you talk to folks on either side of the aisle one-on-one, the conversation is very different from what they might say in public.”

Parekh’s recent book, “Prevention First: Policymaking for a Healthier America” (Johns Hopkins University Press, second edition, 2024), serves as both a professional memoir and a blueprint for future public health approaches. Named one of Washington DC’s 500 most influential people by the Washingtonian in 2023, he brings credibility and vision to a role that could reshape how we understand public health’s critical role in society.

“I hope I can be helpful in demonstrating that higher education and academia can contribute positively to people’s lives,” he said—a mission more important now than ever.