James R. Knickman is the first President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth), a private foundation dedicated to improving the health of all New Yorkers, especially the most vulnerable. Under Dr. Knickman’s leadership, NYSHealth has invested more than $75 million since 2006 in initiatives to improve health care and the public health system in New York State. Today, the Foundation focuses its efforts in three priority areas: reducing the number of New Yorkers without health insurance coverage; improving prevention and management of diabetes; and integrating mental health and substance use services for people who cope with both issues at the same time.
From 2006 – 2011, Dr. Knickman chaired the Board of the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital System, a four-hospital system that represents the leading academic health center in New Jersey, with $1.4 billion in annual revenues. His chairmanship capped 15 years of service on the Board, during which time the hospital tripled in scale.
Dr. Knickman also served on the Board of the New York Catholic Health System, one of the largest providers of long-term care services in the geographic area that comprises the New York Archdiocese.
Immediately prior to joining the New York State Health Foundation, Dr. Knickman was the Vice President of Research and Evaluation at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in Princeton, New Jersey. Previously, he served on the faculty of New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service; worked at the New York City Office of Management and Budget; and was a visiting professor at the University of Rochester, U.C. Berkeley, and Princeton University. He has also served on a wide range of advisory boards and published extensive research on issues related to improving services for homeless families, frail elders, and individuals with HIV. Dr. Knickman is the co-author of a widely used textbook on health policy and management.
Dr. Knickman received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Psychology from Fordham University and his Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Pennsylvania.