Jessie Gruman is the founder and president of the Center for the Advancement of Health, an independent, nonpartisan Washington-based policy institute funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation and other foundations.

Since it was established in 1992, the Center has worked to translate health research into effective policy and practice. The Center focuses specifically on ensuring that evidence of the influence of social, behavioral and economic factors on health is used in efforts to prevent, manage and treat disease. Dr. Gruman has worked on this same set of concerns in the private sector (AT&T), the public sector (National Institutes of Health) and the voluntary health sector (American Cancer Society).

She received her undergraduate degree from Vassar College and her Ph.D. from Columbia University. She serves on the boards of trustees of the National Health Council, the Public Health Institute, the Sallan Foundation, the Center for Information Therapy and the Mind, Brain, Body and Health Initiative.

Dr. Gruman is a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and has received awards for distinguished service from the Society for Behavioral Medicine and the American Psychological Association. She recently received the Society of Behavioral Medicine Leadership in Translation of Research to Practice Award and an honorary doctorate in public policy from Carnegie Mellon University.

Dr. Gruman is the author of a forthcoming book for the public about using scientific information to make decisions about healthcare: After Shock: What to Do When the Doctor Gives You – or Someone You Love – a Devastating Diagnosis (Walker, 2006).