ANN ARBOR— President Barack Obama?s approach to health care reform has been hotly debated. Several University of Michigan experts from various disciplines are available to speak to media about aspects of health care reform and insurance.

They include:

Rashid Bashshur, director of telemedicine at the U-M Health System and emeritus professor of Health Management and Policy at the U-M School of Public Health. He can discuss the role of telemedicine in health care reform, telemedicine system development, implementation, and evaluation. He is particularly interested in promoting sound research to build evidence on the impact of telemedicine, specifically how it affects access, costs, and quality of care for clients and providers.(734) 647-3089 or [email protected].

Dr. A. Mark Fendrick, professor of Internal Medicine in the School of Medicine and a professor of Health Management and Policy in the School of Public Health, and co-director of the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design at U-M. He can discuss the clinical and economic assessment of medical interventions with special attention to how technological innovation influences clinical practice, benefit design and health care systems. Contact: (734) 647-9688 or [email protected]

Brant Fries, professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy School of Public Health, and research professor, Institute of Gerontology, can discuss aspects of long-term care including delivery, reimbursement and financing, and policy decisions. Contact: (734) 936-2107 or [email protected].

Kyle Grazier, professor, Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, and professor of psychiatry at the U-M Medical School. Grazier can discuss the effects of health care financing and insurance mechanisms on patterns of use, costs and the delivery of high quality, efficient health care. She is also researching the impact of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. Grazier led the committee to redesign U-M health benefits in 2005 and 2009. Contact: (734) 936-1222.

John Griffith, the Andrew Pattullo Collegiate Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, and director of the Griffith Leadership Center, studies hospitals and other organizations delivering health care and cost effectiveness. Contact: (734) 936-1304.

Peter Jacobson, professor of health law and policy and director, Center for Law, Ethics, and Health, has focused on the legal and regulatory aspects of medical care delivery and public health services. He can discuss various facets of health care reform, public health preparedness and public health ethics. Contact: (734) 936-0928 or [email protected].

Paula Lantz, the S.J. Axelrod Collegiate Professor and chair of Health Management and Policy. Lantz can discuss public health policy, prevention and health disparities. Lantz also holds an appointment at the Institute for Social Research. Contact: (734) 763-9902 or [email protected].

Helen Levy, researcher at the Institute for U-M Social Research and School of Public Health, is an expert on health economics, public finance and labor economics. Her recent work explores the reasons why some households do not have health insurance. Contact: (734) 615-9587 or [email protected].

Dean Smith, professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy and senior associate dean for administration, School of Public Health, can discuss costs of pharmaceuticals, financial management practices and techniques, and health plan operations. He also directs MHealthy, U-M?s health and wellness committee, the University?s Pharmacy Benefit Oversight Committee and the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design. Contact: (734) 647-6233.

Kenneth Warner, dean of the University of Michigan School of Public

Health and the Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor of Public Health, can discuss all aspects of tobacco policy. He can also discuss, in general terms, the health and economic value of public health and disease prevention. Contact: (734)763-5454 or [email protected].

Susan Goold, M.D., is assistant professor ofInternal Medicine and director of the Bioethics Program at theUniversity of Michigan Medical School. Her work focuses on the ethics of health care financing and organization. Dr. Goold’s research interests include ethics and managed care, finances and the doctor-patient relationship, ethics of healthcare organizations, allocating scarce resources, citizen participation in health policy, and interpersonal and institutional trust in healthcare contexts.Contact: (734) 764-2220.

Robert Hayward, M.D.,is a professor of Internal Medicine and co-director of the Veteran’s Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System for Outcomes Research. His clinical interests include hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. He can talk about how health care quality measurement and improvements should be included in health care reform. Contact: (734) 764-2220.

Maria J. Silveira, M.D., is a clinical scientist and assistant professor in U-M’s division of General Medicine. She can share views about end-of-life consultations that could be part of health care reform initiatives. Silveira has studied how the quality of end of life care can be improved for patients with life-limiting conditions. Her theoretical work focuses on the ethics of pain management. Contact: (734) 764-2220.