Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD

Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, is responsible for proactive coordination of health policy communication within the Jacobs School and UB’s other health sciences schools that comprise the university’s Academic Health Center.

She has policy development expertise, with experience at the local, state and national level in influencing and implementing health system reform.

Nielsen also teaches health policy to students, consults with UBMD clinicians and collaborates with faculty and curriculum committee members to disseminate knowledge about health care policy as it evolves.

Prior to attending medical school at UB, Nielsen earned a doctorate in microbiology from Catholic University in Washington, D. C. In addition to her experience as a clinician and a leader in academic and organized medicine, she has served as a member of board of directors for numerous stakeholder organizations, including the National Patient Safety Foundation, the National Quality Forum, the Medical Liability Mutual Insurance Company, and Kaleida Health. She also served for three years as chief medical officer for Independent Health, an HMO headquartered in Buffalo.  She was senior advisor in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation during the Obama administration.  She is a former president of the American Medical Association.

In 2009, Nielsen was elected a member of the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) of the National Academy of Sciences, considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

She is a frequent media contributor.