Dr. Kristin Reiter named chair of Gillings School’s Department of Health Policy and Management

November 7, 2023

Dr. Kristin Reiter

The UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health has appointed Kristin Reiter, PhD, as chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM), effective October 31.

Reiter came to Carolina in 2005 as an assistant professor in the department. Since then, she consistently has served as a research fellow at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. In 2017, she was named both a full professor and associate chair of the department.

She teaches courses in health care financial management and management accounting and is involved in several research projects, including the Rapid Response to Requests for Rural Data Analysis and Issue-Specific Rural Research Studies and the Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Evaluation, for which she is the principal investigator. The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy funds both projects.

Reiter also has authored or co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and is co-author of two leading textbooks in health care finance.

“Our community knows that Kristin has been serving as interim chair for the past several months following the retirement of Dr. Morris Weinberger,” said Nancy Messonnier, MD, dean and Bryson Distinguished Professor in Public Health at the Gillings School. “I am beyond pleased to make her role permanent, as she has long proven to be a thoughtful, empathetic leader and mentor. Her nearly 20 years of service in HPM give her a deep understanding of the department that will guide her vision for its future.”

Prior to joining the HPM faculty, Reiter earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Northern Illinois University as well as a master’s degree in applied economics and a doctoral degree in health services organization and policy from the University of Michigan.

“The Department of Health Policy and Management is special because of its people — the students, staff, faculty, alumni and partners — who work together to advance HPM’s mission to improve health for all,” Reiter said. “The members of this community contribute in many different ways. We value each contribution because it takes all of us, together, to achieve optimal population health in North Carolina, across the United States and around the world. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve HPM as chair and to support this great community as we build upon a legacy of excellence in research, teaching, practice and service that actively shapes policy, transforms systems and improves lives.”

Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@unc.edu.