Robert Otto Burciaga Valdez is an American academic and public health official who serves as the director of the

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ; pronounced "ark" by initiates and often "A-H-R-Q" by the public) is one of twelve agencies within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The agency is headquartered i ...

Education

Valdez earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts in history and biochemistry from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, followed by a Master's in Health Services Administration from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

and a PhD in policy analysis from the

Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School The Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School (Pardee RAND) is a private graduate school associated with the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California. The school offers doctoral studies in policy analysis and practical experience working on RAN ...

Career

Valdez began his career working as a researcher for the

RAND Health Insurance Experiment The RAND Health Insurance Experiment (RAND HIE) was an experimental study from 1974 to 1982 of health care costs, utilization and outcomes in the United States, which assigned people randomly to different kinds of plans and followed their behavi ...

. He later served as a senior advisor to the

White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics is a multi-agency working group within the Department of Education charged with strengthening the nation's capacity to provide high-quality education while increasing opportunitie ...

during the

Clinton administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over Re ...

. He served as a senior advisor to President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

, and as deputy assistant secretary for health, and director of interagency health policy in the

United States Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

. He was the founding dean of the

Drexel University School of Public Health The Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health is a part of the Drexel University Health Sciences network of schools. The Dornsife School of Public Health was located in downtown Philadelphia from its inception until December 2013. It has s ...

before joining the RWJF Center for Health Policy at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

. In 2021, Valdez was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as

assistant secretary of health and human services for planning and evaluation The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is the principal advisory group to the United States Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on policy development and provides coordination and supp ...

. His nomination was withdrawn on January 7, 2022. On February 27, 2022, Valdez was instead appointed as the director of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdez, Robert Otto Living people Harvard College alumni University of Michigan alumni Clinton administration personnel United States Department of Health and Human Services officials Drexel University faculty University of New Mexico faculty Year of birth missing (living people) Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni