David Cutler Speaker Biography

Healthcare Advisor to President Obama, Former Member of the Council of Economic Advisors and Harvard Professor of Applied Economics

As a highly influential healthcare speaker and leading health economist, David Cutler has achieved significant recognition in both academic and public spheres. He progressed from Assistant Professor of Economics (1991-1995) to John L. Loeb Associate Professor of Social Sciences (1995) and earned tenure in 1997. Currently, he holds the esteemed Otto Eckstein Professorship of Applied Economics at Harvard University. Furthermore, he was named Harvard College Professor from 2014 to 2019. Professor Cutler also holds secondary appointments at the Kennedy School of Government and the School of Public Health, demonstrating his broad expertise as a health policy speaker. Additionally, he served as associate dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for Social Sciences from 2003 to 2008.

Health Economics

Recognized for his impactful scholarly work and exceptional mentorship of graduate students, Professor Cutler’s contributions to health economics and public economics have garnered substantial academic and public acclaim. Moreover, Professor Cutler served on the Council of Economic Advisers and the National Economic Council during the Clinton Administration. Additionally, this prominent health expert advised the Presidential campaigns of Bill Bradley, John Kerry, and Barack Obama. He also served as Senior Health Care Advisor for the Obama Presidential Campaign. Among his numerous affiliations, Professor Cutler has held positions with the National Institutes of Health and the National Academy of Sciences. Currently, Professor Cutler is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Consequently, he advises numerous companies and groups on health care matters.

Health Advisor

Professor Cutler played a pivotal advisory role in the development of recent cost control legislation in Massachusetts. Furthermore, he is a key member of the Health Policy Commission. This commission was established to help reduce medical spending within the state. His deep understanding of health policy makes him a valuable resource.

Books

Professor Cutler has authored three significant books, contributed several chapters to edited volumes, and published numerous papers on health care and other important public policy issues. His book, Your Money Or Your Life: Strong Medicine for America’s Health Care System, published by Oxford University Press, along with Professor Cutler’s insightful ideas, were featured in a prominent New York Times Magazine article titled “The Quality Cure” by Roger Lowenstein. More recently, this insightful healthcare speaker co-authored Survival of the City: The Future of Urban Life in an Age of Isolation (with Edward Glaeser). This work examines how cities must and can adapt to pandemics and other significant threats.

Education

Professor Cutler’s academic foundation includes an AB from Harvard University (1987) and a PhD in Economics from MIT (1991). His strong educational background underpins his expertise as a leading healthcare speaker and health economist.

David Cutler Speaking Topics

What Health Care Reform Means for Businesses

Many businesses are wary of health care reform. Yet health care reform presents opportunities as well as challenges. Dr. David Cutler analyzes the opportunities and challenges that health reform will bring to business. He highlights areas of underexploited value in health care, including chronic care management, administrative simplification, and care coordination. Dr. Cutler shows the public and private sector opportunities associated with each of these areas and how smart businesses can exploit them. He also highlights how the political process approaches reform, and the implications of current public policies for business.

The Value Proposition in Health Care

Building on his phenomenal academic career and extensive experience in health care policy, Dr. David Cutler presents a feasible, sustainable plan for health care reform in the United States. Dr. Cutler focuses on value creation: taking a health care system that is haphazard in quality and too costly and focusing it on the core mission of value enhancement. Dr. Cutler shows how this can be achieved through several key changes: improving the information flow in health care; aligning compensation systems so they reward better care, not just more care; and stressing organizational structures that lead to improved performance. An architect of the Obama plan for health care, Dr. Cutler shows how public and private policies can further the value proposition in health care.