BOSTON - June 24, 2013 - Robert A. Gabbay, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Joslin Diabetes Center. Joslin Diabetes Center is an independent institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School and the world's largest diabetes clinic, diabetes research center and provider of diabetes education. Joslin is dedicated to ensuring that people with diabetes live long, healthy live and to offering real hope and progress toward diabetes prevention and, ultimately, a cure.
Dr. Gabbay’s appointment was announced today by John L. Brooks, III, President and CEO of Joslin at the 73rd Annual Scientific Session of the American Diabetes Association in Chicago. “We’re very excited and delighted to have Dr. Gabbay join Joslin,” Brooks said. “His extensive experience and leadership in developing and implementing innovative clinical improvements and programs will significantly contribute to Joslin’s ongoing efforts to address and impact the global diabetes epidemic.”
Dr. Gabbay comes to Joslin from the College of Medicine Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, where he is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Penn State Institute for Diabetes and Obesity and Penn State Hershey Diabetes Institute.
Dr. Gabbay leads a federally funded State Innovation Model Planning Grant for the state of Pennsylvania funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid redesign health care for the state. He also is the Principal Investigator for three Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) projects funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality aimed at developing and implementing new care models in primary care.
Over the course of his career, he has worked closely with numerous investigators nationally towards optimal approaches to providing self-management support and to further engaging patients in their care.
While at Penn State University, Dr. Gabbay’s founded multi-disciplinary Diabetes Institute that has created innovative opportunities for collaboration throughout Penn State campuses. He has worked to develop the infrastructure for a Primary Care Extension Service that supports primary care transformation to improve clinical outcomes.
His research interests include redesigning health care delivery models to optimize outcomes for people with diabetes that has included examining the role of the Patient-Centered Medical Home, motivational interviewing, the Chronic Care Model, nurse case management, behavior change, innovative technologies and therapies, improved inpatient management, podiatric care and the use of registries.
Dr. Gabbay received his Bachelor’s Degree from McGill University. He then earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin where he studied insulin signaling mechanisms. After completing an Internal Medicine Residency at Cornell University - New York Hospital, he went on to complete a Fellowship at Harvard Medical School - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In 1998, Dr. Gabbay joined the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine where he was a tenured Professor of Medicine at the College of Medicine and in the Department of Molecular Medicine. Dr. Gabbay has also maintained an active endocrinology clinical practice for over 20 years.
“I am thrilled to be coming to the Joslin at this dynamic time of health care reform,” said Dr. Gabbay. “This is a historic opportunity for the Joslin to continue to lead innovative value-based health care solutions to improve the lives of those with diabetes and to confront the diabetes epidemic regionally, nationally, and worldwide.”