Newt Gingrich
Founder
Since retiring from Congress, Newt Gingrich has worked extensively on the issues of health and healthcare, devoting the majority of his time to advocating a transformation of the entire system. In 2003, he founded the Center for Health Transformation, a collaboration of public and private sector leaders dedicated to the creation of a 21st Century Intelligent Health System that saves lives and saves money.
Honored most recently by Modern Healthcare’s annual poll as the 5th Most Powerful Person in Healthcare for 2006, Newt Gingrich is widely recognized as a transformational leader, unparalleled in his ability to create and lead successful large-scale change. As the architect of the Contract with America, he led the Republican Party to victory in 1994, capturing the majority in the U.S. House for the first time in forty years. Under his leadership, Congress passed transformational legislation including welfare reform, the first balanced budget in a generation, funding to strengthen our defense capabilities, and the first tax cuts in sixteen years.
During his twenty years in Congress, Speaker Gingrich was committed to improving America’s healthcare system, co-chairing the Republican Task Force on Health for four years prior to becoming Speaker. Under his leadership as Speaker, Medicare was improved, investment in medical research was dramatically increased, and FDA reform was enacted to allow for quicker approval and access to new medicines for those with terminal and degenerative illnesses.
The Washington Times called him “the indispensable leader” and Time magazine, in naming him Man of the Year for 1995, said, “Leaders make things possible. Exceptional leaders make them inevitable. Newt Gingrich belongs in the category of the exceptional.” He is routinely in Modern Healthcare’s Top 10 of Healthcare’s Most Powerful People in Healthcare, and regularly participates as a healthcare expert in both the National Journal’s Healthcare Expert Blog and as commentator on Fox News.
Mr. Gingrich is currently a member of the Advisory Board for the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research and sits on the Board of Regents at the National Library of Medicine. In addition, he co-chairs the National Commission for Quality Long Term Care. He has received numerous health and healthcare honors and awards, including:
• 1995 March of Dimes Georgian of the Year
• 1996 Georgia Breast Cancer Coalition Honoree
• 1996 Mental Health Association Advocacy Award
• 1997 Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Advocate of the Year
• 1998 American Association of Endocrinologists Patients Advocate of the Year
• 1998 American Diabetes Association Charles Best Medal (highest non-medical award)
• 1998 National Association of Community Health Centers Diabetes Healthcare Advocate of the Year
• 2001 Science Coalition’s Science Pioneer Award
• 2005 NCQA Health Quality Award (National Committee for Quality Assurance)
• 2005 National Minority Health Month Foundation Award for outstanding contributions to elimination of diabetes
• 2005 Louis Sullivan Award for his leadership and advocacy for the rapid adoption of health information technology (WEDI, the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange)
• 2005 HIMSS Advocacy Award for his leadership advancing information and management systems for the betterment of human health
• 2006 National Hispanic Youth Initiative Award for Leadership
• 2008 Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare
• 2008 “Indispensible Person of the Year Award” by Alliance on Aging
Speaker Gingrich has authored numerous health publications, columns and books, including Saving Lives and Saving Money, which describes the vision and principles of the Center for Health Transformation. His book Winning the Future includes key chapters on health and healthcare, based on his work at The Center. Speaker Gingrich and Center for Health Transformation CEO and President Nancy Desmond published The Art of Transformation in 2007, and 2008 brings another publication, Real Change, which devotes a chapter to the necessary changes in today’s healthcare system.
During his twenty years in Congress, Speaker Gingrich was committed to improving America’s healthcare system, co-chairing the Republican Task Force on Health for four years prior to becoming Speaker. Under his leadership as Speaker, Medicare was improved, investment in medical research was dramatically increased, and FDA reform was enacted to allow for quicker approval and access to new medicines for those with terminal and degenerative illnesses.
The Washington Times called him “the indispensable leader” and Time magazine, in naming him Man of the Year for 1995, said, “Leaders make things possible. Exceptional leaders make them inevitable. Newt Gingrich belongs in the category of the exceptional.” He is routinely in Modern Healthcare’s Top 10 of Healthcare’s Most Powerful People in Healthcare, and regularly participates as a healthcare expert in both the National Journal’s Healthcare Expert Blog and as commentator on Fox News.
Mr. Gingrich is currently a member of the Advisory Board for the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research and sits on the Board of Regents at the National Library of Medicine. In addition, he co-chairs the National Commission for Quality Long Term Care. He has received numerous health and healthcare honors and awards, including:
• 1995 March of Dimes Georgian of the Year
• 1996 Georgia Breast Cancer Coalition Honoree
• 1996 Mental Health Association Advocacy Award
• 1997 Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Advocate of the Year
• 1998 American Association of Endocrinologists Patients Advocate of the Year
• 1998 American Diabetes Association Charles Best Medal (highest non-medical award)
• 1998 National Association of Community Health Centers Diabetes Healthcare Advocate of the Year
• 2001 Science Coalition’s Science Pioneer Award
• 2005 NCQA Health Quality Award (National Committee for Quality Assurance)
• 2005 National Minority Health Month Foundation Award for outstanding contributions to elimination of diabetes
• 2005 Louis Sullivan Award for his leadership and advocacy for the rapid adoption of health information technology (WEDI, the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange)
• 2005 HIMSS Advocacy Award for his leadership advancing information and management systems for the betterment of human health
• 2006 National Hispanic Youth Initiative Award for Leadership
• 2008 Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare
• 2008 “Indispensible Person of the Year Award” by Alliance on Aging
Speaker Gingrich has authored numerous health publications, columns and books, including Saving Lives and Saving Money, which describes the vision and principles of the Center for Health Transformation. His book Winning the Future includes key chapters on health and healthcare, based on his work at The Center. Speaker Gingrich and Center for Health Transformation CEO and President Nancy Desmond published The Art of Transformation in 2007, and 2008 brings another publication, Real Change, which devotes a chapter to the necessary changes in today’s healthcare system.
