John Zaven Ayanian, MD, MPP

portrait of Ayanian	John
Alice Hamilton Distinguished University Professor of Medicine and Healthcare Policy
Alice Hamilton Collegiate Professor of Medicine
Director, Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation
Professor of Internal Medicine, Medical School
Professor of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health
Professor of Public Policy, Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy
Office:
University of Michigan
Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation
2800 Plymouth Rd
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Email:
[email protected]
Phone:
Available to mentor
John Zaven Ayanian, MD, MPP
portrait of Ayanian	John
Professor
  • About
  • Links
  • Qualifications
  • Center Memberships
  • Research Overview
  • Recent Publications
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  • About

    Dr. John Ayanian is the inaugural Director of the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation which includes 830 faculty members from 17 schools and colleges at the University of Michigan, where he is the Alice Hamilton Distinguished University Professor of Medicine and Healthcare Policy, Professor of Health Management and Policy in the School of Public Health, Professor of Public Policy in the Ford School of Public Policy, and a practicing general internist at Michigan Medicine. He leads a faculty team evaluating the Healthy Michigan Plan, which has expanded Medicaid coverage to 700,000 adults in Michigan. He has served as an Associate Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine and as founding Editor in Chief of JAMA Health Forum.

    Dr. Ayanian is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, American Society for Clinical Investigation, Association of American Physicians, and Alpha Omega Alpha, and a Master of the American College of Physicians. He has received the John Eisenberg National Award for Career Achievement in Research from the Society of General Internal Medicine and the Distinguished Investigator Award from AcademyHealth. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Duke University, medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. He completed residency and fellowship training in primary care internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a post-doctoral fellowship in health services research at the Harvard School of Public Health.

    Links

    • IHPI Director webpage
    • linkedin
    • twitter

    Qualifications

    • Fellowship
      Brigham and Women's Hospital, Medicine, Boston, United States
      1990 - 1992
      Postdoctoral Fellowship
    • Fellowship
      Harvard University, Health Policy & Management, Cambridge, United States
      1990 - 1992
      Postdoctoral Fellowship
    • Internal Medicine Residency
      Brigham and Women's Hospital, Medicine, Boston, United States
      1987 - 1990
      Residency
    • MD, Medicine
      Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
      1982 - 1987
    • MPP, Health Policy
      Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
      1985 - 1987
    • AB, History & Political Science
      Duke University, Durham, United States
      1978 - 1982

    Center Memberships

    • Center Member
      AI and Digital Health Innovation
    • Center Member
      Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation
    • Center Member
      Center for Global Health Equity
    • Center Member
      Caswell Diabetes Institute

    Research Overview

    Access to care
    Quality of care
    Health equity & health care disparities
    Social determinants of health care, including race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic factors, and insurance coverage

    Recent Publications

    See All Publications
    • Journal Article
      Health Care Utilization and Equity in Medicare Advantage Compared With Traditional Medicare
      Schulson LB, Hatfield L, Chen A, Anderson TS, Souza J, Ayanian JZ, Landon BE. JAMA Network Open, 2026 Sep 1; 9 (9): e2632953 DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.32953
      PMID: 42714907
    • Journal Article
      Volatile Employment and Health Insurance Gaps Among Low- and Middle-Income Workers
      Amba V, Tipirneni R, Ayanian JZ, Agarwal S. JAMA Network Open, 2026 Sep 1; 9 (9): e2633883 DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.33883
      PMID: 42742946
    • Journal Article
      Closing the Health Policy Implementation Gap With Artificial Intelligence
      McGinty EE, Zhang Y, Wang F, Ayanian JZ, Schpero WL. JAMA Health Forum, 2026 Aug 7; 7 (8): DOI:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2026.2515
      PMID: 42566202
    • Proceeding / Abstract / Poster
      Changes in healthcare utilization up to 12 months after COVID-19 infection
      Becker NV, Parent R, Iwashyna T, Ayanian JZ. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2026 Jun 9; DOI:10.1007/s11606-026-10730-x
    • Journal Article
      Financial outcomes among Medicaid enrollees
      Becker NV, Levy H, Hirth RA, Clark SJ, Tipirneni R, Ayanian JZ. JAMA Network Open, 2026 Mar 10; 9 (4): e269328 - e269328.
    • Journal Article
      Disenrollment Rate For Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries During Medicaid Unwinding, 2023-24
      Roberts ET, Ruggiero D, Patel S, Ayanian JZ, Beathard E, Kirch M, Kullgren JT, Switzer G, Tipirneni R. Health Affairs Project Hope, 2026 Mar 1; 45 (3): 307 - 312. DOI:10.1377/hlthaff.2025.01209
      PMID: 41771004
    • Journal Article
      Changes In Medical Debt And Bankruptcy After Acute Traumatic Injuries, 2019-21
      Scott JW, Becker NV, Hemmila MR, Kunnath N, Ayanian JZ, Fendrick AM, Ryan AM, Dimick JB. Health Affairs Project Hope, 2026 Feb 1; 45 (2): 154 - 163. DOI:10.1377/hlthaff.2025.00847
      PMID: 41628389
    • Journal Article
      Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Preventive and Chronic Disease Care in Medicare Advantage vs. Traditional Medicare
      Tipirneni R, Stefanescu A, Hames AG, Ruggerio DA, Ayanian JZ, Roberts ET. 2024 Nov 8;

    Featured News & Stories

    Medicaid magnifying glass
    Health Lab

    What’s changing in Medicaid and what can you do?

    With eligibility rules for people with lower incomes changing in every state, it’s important to stay up to date, seek trustworthy sources and not fall for misinformation
    John Z. Ayanian, M.D., MPP
    Medical School News

    John Z. Ayanian, MD, MPP, wins national public health policy award

    John Z. Ayanian, MD, MPP, has received one of the nation’s top awards for health researchers, as the 2026 winner of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation David E. Rogers Award. The award, which recognizes major contributions to improving public health and health care, is jointly sponsored by RWJF and the AAMC, which is the national organization for medical schools and academic health systems.
    Illustration of a tangle of lines like a roller coaster with four people trapped in a car on one of the lines
    Health Lab

    Study reveals the work and health insurance roller coaster millions of Americans ride

    A study of the connection between work hour and income variation, and type of health insurance coverage, in low-income and middle-income workers, holds importance for changes to Medicaid and other health programs.
    piece of paper with ID card and state outlined blue
    Health Lab

    Michigan’s Medicaid expansion improved both health and finances

    Michigan’s Medicaid expansion, called the Healthy Michigan Plan, helped individuals’ physical, mental and financial health, and supported the hospitals and clinics used by all Michiganders.
    blue piggy bank with umbrella over it and lightening bolts white yellow backyard
    Health Lab

    Medicaid expansion helped enrollees’ long term financial health, study finds

    Now, a new University of Michigan study shows that enrolling also had a positive and long-lasting impact on the financial health of its first enrollees.
    graphic of heart in background and umbrellas above yellow red brown white
    Health Lab

    Medicaid work rules are coming; a top researcher recommends actions to take now

    A University of Michigan Medicaid research leader spells out what doctors, clinics, health systems, researchers and community organizers should do – and what they need.