Rachel Garfield
Professor, Pediatrics
Executive Director, Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP)
PRONOUNS she/her
UHC Campus
1 South Prospect Street, St. Joseph's 7
Burlington, VT 05401
United States
- Ph.D., Health Policy, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
- M.H.S., Health Policy, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Public Health, Baltimore, MD
- A.B., Social Studies,, Harvard College, Cambridge, MA
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Areas of expertise
child health policy, Medicaid/CHIP, public health, health care financing, health services research.
BIO
Rachel Garfield, PhD, MHS is Executive Director of the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP) and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine. As Executive Director of VCHIP, Dr. Garfield collaborates closely with child health policy leaders in the state to address state policy priorities; mentors and supports faculty and staff in reaching their research and QI goals; and collaborates across the University to expand and improve work in child health quality and policy. Dr. Garfield's research focuses on Medicaid and child health policy, insurance coverage and access to care for low-income populations, public financing for behavioral health services, and quality improvement partnerships to promote child health.
Courses
- Fall 2009-10: Instructor, Political Strategy and Health Policy, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
- Spring 2010 - Co-Instructor, Health Insurance: Financing Health Care, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
- Fall 2005 - Head Teaching Fellow, Introduction to Health Care Policy, Harvard College
- Fall 2004 - Teaching Fellow, Introduction to Health Care Policy, Harvard College
- Spring 2007 - Teaching Fellow, Graduate Reading Course in Political Analysis, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences Department of Health Policy - Spring 2006 - Teaching Fellow, Political Analysis and Strategy for U.S. Health Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
- Spring 2005 - Teaching Fellow, Politics and Strategies for Change in Health Policy, Harvard School of Public Health
- Fall 2001 - Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Spring 2000 - Teaching Assistant, Policy Issues in Health Care Financing and Delivery, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Publications
Awards and Achievements
- Named to Vermont Steering Committee for Comprehensive Primary Health Care
- Named to State of Vermont Health Care Delivery Advisory Committee
- Member, National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on The Pediatric Subspecialty Workforce and Its Impact on Child Health and Well-Being
- 2007-2008: Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Completion Fellowship
- 2005-2007: NIH/National Institute of Mental Health Training Grant in Health Policy
- 2005 - Harvard University/Derek Bok Center for Teaching & Learning Certificate of Distinction
- 2004-2005 - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Training Grant in Health Policy
- 2000 - Delta Omega National Public Health Honor Society, Alpha Chapter
- 1996 - Magna Cum Laude, Harvard College
Bio
Rachel Garfield, PhD, MHS is Executive Director of the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP) and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine. As Executive Director of VCHIP, Dr. Garfield collaborates closely with child health policy leaders in the state to address state policy priorities; mentors and supports faculty and staff in reaching their research and QI goals; and collaborates across the University to expand and improve work in child health quality and policy. Dr. Garfield's research focuses on Medicaid and child health policy, insurance coverage and access to care for low-income populations, public financing for behavioral health services, and quality improvement partnerships to promote child health.
Courses
- Fall 2009-10: Instructor, Political Strategy and Health Policy, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
- Spring 2010 - Co-Instructor, Health Insurance: Financing Health Care, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
- Fall 2005 - Head Teaching Fellow, Introduction to Health Care Policy, Harvard College
- Fall 2004 - Teaching Fellow, Introduction to Health Care Policy, Harvard College
- Spring 2007 - Teaching Fellow, Graduate Reading Course in Political Analysis, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences Department of Health Policy - Spring 2006 - Teaching Fellow, Political Analysis and Strategy for U.S. Health Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
- Spring 2005 - Teaching Fellow, Politics and Strategies for Change in Health Policy, Harvard School of Public Health
- Fall 2001 - Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Spring 2000 - Teaching Assistant, Policy Issues in Health Care Financing and Delivery, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Publications
Awards and Achievements
- Named to Vermont Steering Committee for Comprehensive Primary Health Care
- Named to State of Vermont Health Care Delivery Advisory Committee
- Member, National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on The Pediatric Subspecialty Workforce and Its Impact on Child Health and Well-Being
- 2007-2008: Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Completion Fellowship
- 2005-2007: NIH/National Institute of Mental Health Training Grant in Health Policy
- 2005 - Harvard University/Derek Bok Center for Teaching & Learning Certificate of Distinction
- 2004-2005 - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Training Grant in Health Policy
- 2000 - Delta Omega National Public Health Honor Society, Alpha Chapter
- 1996 - Magna Cum Laude, Harvard College
Professional Positions
2019-2022 - Vice President and Co-Director, Kaiser Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)
2011-2019 - Senior Researcher and Associate Director, Kaiser Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Kaiser Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)
2008-2011 - Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
2004 - Research Assistant, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
1999-2003 - Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President and Executive Director, Kaiser Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)
1999 - Policy Associate, Kaiser Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)
1999 - Policy Intern, Center for Medicaid and State Operations, State Children’s Health Insurance Program, Health Care Financing Administration, Baltimore, MD
1997-1998 - Senior Analyst, Syndicated Research Division
1996-1997 - Research Specialist, Women’s Health and Pediatrics, Health Care Advisory Board, The Advisory Board Company, Washington, DC
Select Publications
- Garfield R. Next steps: Implications of proposed changes in federal Medicaid financing on hospital services for children. J Hosp Med. 2025 Nov;20(11):1231-1233. doi: 10.1002/jhm.70087. Epub 2025 May 29. PMID: 40442969; PMCID: PMC12579753.
- Garfield RL. Spending on Children's Health Care in the United States: Accomplishments and Challenges in Financing Health Services for Children. JAMA Pediatr. 2017 Feb 1;171(2):110-111. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.4084. PMID: 28027330.
- Horvitz-Lennon M, Volya R, Garfield R, Donohue JM, Lave JR, Normand SL. Where You Live Matters: Quality and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Schizophrenia Care in Four State Medicaid Programs. Health Serv Res. 2015 Oct;50(5):1710-29. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12296. Epub 2015 Mar 11. PMID: 25759240; PMCID: PMC4600368.
- Garfield RL, Beardslee WR, Greenfield SF, Meara E. Behavioral health services in separate CHIP programs on the eve of parity. Adm Policy Ment Health. 2012 May;39(3):147-57. doi: 10.1007/s10488-011-0340-5. PMID: 21461975; PMCID: PMC3188322.
- Frank RG, Garfield RL. Managed behavioral health care carve-outs: past performance and future prospects. Annu Rev Public Health. 2007;28:303-20. doi: 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.28.021406.144029. PMID: 17112340.
Book Chapter Publications
- Garfield, R. and D. Rowland. “Medicaid.” In Ekerdt, D., ed. Encyclopedia of Aging. (New York: Macmillan Reference): 2002.
- Rowland, D. and R. Garfield. “Medicaid.” In Breslow, L., ed. Encyclopedia of Public Health. (New York: Macmillan Reference): 2001.