Gary L. Freed

Dr. Gary L. Freed is the Percy and Mary Murphy Professor of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine and Professor of Health Management and Policy in the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He currently serves as Director of Research for Michigan Medicine Health Advancement and directs two major initiatives: the Program for Equity in Adolescent and Child Health (PEACH) and the Michigan Child Health Equity Collaborative (MI-CHEC). With over 30 years of experience in children's health services research, Dr. Freed maintains an active clinical practice seeing pediatric patients at Canton Health Center while providing mentorship in research and health equity.

Dr. Freed's educational background includes:

• B.A. in Biology, with honors, from The University of Texas at Austin (1983)
• M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (1987)
• M.P.H. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1992)
• Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at UNC-CH (1990-1992)

Dr. Freed's research focuses on child health policy and health economics, with particular emphasis on health equity, immunizations, physician behavior, and the medical workforce. His work examines inter-specialty variation in preventive services for children and addresses systemic barriers to equitable healthcare access. As founder of the Program for Equity in Adolescent and Child Health (PEACH), he leads multi-departmental efforts to reduce disparities in pediatric care across Michigan.

Dr. Freed's extensive publication record demonstrates evolving trends from foundational work on physician workforce issues toward contemporary focus on health equity measurement and intervention. His recent scholarship addresses racial and ethnic data accuracy in medical records, quality indicators for pediatric sickle cell care, and the financial impacts of medical fellowship training.

Among his notable recognitions:

• 2009 Douglas K. Richardson Lifetime Achievement Award for Perinatal and Pediatric Health Care Research
• 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award from Baylor College of Medicine
• 2019 Academy Health Pediatric Section Lifetime Achievement Award
• Senior Fulbright Scholar to the Netherlands (2021-2022)

As a dedicated mentor, Dr. Freed has guided numerous trainees through the NIH-funded pediatric health services research fellowship program he established. His grant portfolio includes substantial federal, state, and foundation funding supporting child health policy research. Currently, he leads MI-CHEC, a quality collaborative of Michigan's largest pediatric health systems funded by the State Medicaid Program, and PEACH, which engages ten medical school departments in advancing health equity.

Dr. Freed directs several research initiatives including the Pediatric Sickle Cell Improvement Collaborative and the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. He previously founded the Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Center and established Australia's first Program in Pediatric Health Services Research during his tenure at the University of Melbourne.