Gary Gaumer
Evaluating medicare and veterans health programs for 25 years led me to a second career helping U.S. states and developing countries implement more effective health policies featuring incentive payments systems for providers.
Dr. Gaumer, Senior Research Scientist at CISHW, focuses on quantifying the impacts of health programs and health professionals. He will contribute to the research about social workers to improved health and cost outcomes in healthcare settings. Social workers play vital roles across diverse settings, addressing patient and provider well-being with a focus on equity, social justice, emotional health, and social determinants of health. His research aims to build a stronger evidence base to demonstrate the value of social work in interdisciplinary teams and inform practice and payment policy.
A health and labor economist with over 45 years of experience, Dr. Gaumer brings deep expertise in using research and evaluation to strengthen health policy and financing systems. Prior to rejoining academia in 2003, he led the Health Services Research Group at Abt Associates. His technical specialties include designing performance-based provider payment systems, improving health system performance through data and measurement tools, and developing health workforce policy and planning strategies. He has conducted numerous impact evaluations on interventions ranging from pharmaceuticals and diagnostic technologies to alternative workforce models.
Domestically, he has advised federal and state agencies—including CMS, HRSA, and multiple state Medicaid programs—on payment reform, telemedicine policy, and health workforce distribution. He directed major studies such as the Congressionally mandated DRG impact study and has served as an expert witness on health IT disputes. His work has informed senior decision-makers across CMS, Congress, and the White House on evolving health system priorities.
Internationally, Dr. Gaumer has advised Ministers of Health and senior officials in more than a dozen countries, including Egypt, Iraq, Ukraine, and Uganda. His global work—conducted for USAID, the World Bank, and UN agencies—has included designing health information systems, training policymakers, evaluating reforms, and serving as faculty for the World Bank’s Flagship Course. He remains actively engaged in research and mentoring, supported by donors such as the Gates Foundation, and has published extensively on global health systems.
Dr. Gaumer has a BS in Economics from Bradley University and a PhD in Economics from Northern Illinois University. His dissertation focused on the new field of Health Economics, writing about the efficiency in household health production.