GUMC Update : Getting to Know...Gary Filerman

Getting to Know...Gary Filerman

April 3, 2007

Gary Filerman, professor and chair of the Health Systems Administration program in the School of Nursing & Health Studies (NHS), is passionate about making health systems more efficient, improving patient care, and teaching his students to advocate for change in the world of health care and beyond.

We caught up with Filerman in his office which overlooks the woods behind St. Mary’s Hall—quite appropriate for this avid bird watcher and nature enthusiast.

Tell me a bit about the Health Systems Administration program.
We’re trying to attract people to careers in the management of health systems who are committed to making them more effective—more efficient and safer. The issue of the day is quality of [patient] care, and we teach our students about quality and our faculty do research related to quality. The gap in quality is the difference between doing what we do and doing what we know, and it’s a serious gap.

One of our ambitions is to create a joint MD-MS program so that those medical students who are interested in being leaders in the health care field can extend their education by a year and earn both degrees. We need to grow physician champions of medical leadership. We have so many opportunities in the field right now.

What are some of the research projects your faculty are working on?

We have submitted a proposal to evaluate the impact of global hospital standards. How can an individual patient or clinician be assured that the environment in which they are treated or they practice in one country meets quality expectations in another country?

Another exciting area of research is health care in correctional facilities. The public health implications of correctional health are profound. We have more people in jail per capita than any other country in the world, and that number is only going to increase. Every one of those people is entitled to medical care under the law, and many will return to their communities sicker than they were before they got to prison.

When did you come to Georgetown and what were you doing before that?

I came to Georgetown on July 1, 2000. For most of my career, I was the CEO of a consortium of most of the universities in the world in health care management and policy. I did that for 28 years in 35 countries. In its early years, it was an extension of the Kellogg Foundation. I have a master’s degree in Latin American government and did my doctorate in Chile, so it was a natural fit. Later, I got involved with the World Bank and USAID and other international organizations.

Your office décor lends me to assume that you have an interest in birds.
I am an amateur ornithologist. I have birded in 40 countries. Most people think I go there to work, but…right now I’m doing some work in Chiapas, Mexico, with our International Health program. I have a whole birding network established there. I’ve done work for USAID, the Kellogg Foundation, PAHO, and WHO, so I’ve had the opportunity to travel a lot.

What is your favorite country for bird-watching?

I think most bird people agree on this because of the number of species you can see within a relatively small distance: Costa Rica and Kenya. Of course, you have to add Peru, and Colombia. But just about every place on the earth has its own excitement.

Locally, Dyke Marsh is very good, on the Potomac. The whole Virginia bank of the Potomac along the water and the Maryland bank along the towpath many miles away from Washington are great. Many people would add the Eastern Shore because of all the migratory ducks and geese. There’s a lot of good activity around here.