David R. Calkins, M.D., MPP

Dr. Calkins is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Associate Physician at the Massachusetts General Hospital, where he practices general internal medicine. He also is a George W. Merck Fellow with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Dr. Calkins is a graduate of Princeton University (A.B., 1970); the Harvard Medical School (M.D., 1975); and the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (M.P.P., 1975). He completed postgraduate training in internal medicine at the University of Washington and the Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. From 1978 to 1981, Dr. Calkins served as a White House Fellow and then as Special Assistant and Deputy Executive Secretary, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From 1981 to 1991, he was a member of the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. He also was Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. From 1991 to 1996, Dr. Calkins was Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, and Medical Director of Ambulatory Services, Deaconess Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. From 1985 to 1996, Dr. Calkins served as Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health. He directed the Master of Science program in Health Policy and Management, the MPH program in Health Care Management, and the MD/MPH program. From 1996 until 1999, Dr. Calkins was affiliated with the University of Kansas School of Medicine, where he served as Associate Dean for Primary Care and later as Senior Associate Dean for Education. In 1999, Dr. Calkins returned to Harvard Medical School as Associate Dean for Clinical Programs. He is a Scholar in the Academy at Harvard Medical School, where he is working to improve clinical education.

Dr. Calkins’ research interests include health policy, health promotion and disease prevention, and quality improvement in health care. He is the author of more than 50 scientific publications and the editor of a textbook on health care policy. He is active in the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) and serves as chair of SGIM’s Health Policy Committee.