The Ohio State University Health Sciences Center has named Jerome E. Friedman as an assistant vice president. He will serve as the health policy adviser and director of government relations in the office of the senior vice president for Health Services.
Friedman will work tightly with university, state and federal government officials, and community leaders to develop policies and programs that will enhance the financing and delivery of health care. The programs will also uphold high-quality educational opportunities for medical students.
He will also inform OSU administrators about local and national issues which may affect health care programming and funding for medical research and technology.
“State and federal health policies are constantly changing and it’s important for the medical center to have someone who not only knows about these policies and changes, but to provide support for programs that are beneficial to our patients and students,” said David Crawford, Medical Center spokesman.
Friedman possesses a unique combination of skills and background necessary for the newly created position.
Dr. Fred Sanfilippo, senior vice president for Health Sciences and dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health, appointed Friedman to the position.
“Jerry has the experience and knowledge to help the Health Sciences Center strategically confront new challenges brought about by changing governmental policies and shifts in funding for education and research,” Sanfilippo said.
For the past three years, Friedman has served as president of Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, where he helped promote the health of Ohio’s children by advocating for properly financed, high-quality children’s health care, pediatric research, child-friendly public policies and funding to train future pediatricians.
Before that, he worked at the OSU Medical Center for seven years, where he was a government liaison for health sciences and hospital affairs. He was successful in building understanding and support for the medical center’s research, patient care and teaching missions.
Friedman also is the former Medicaid policy chief and legislative counsel for the Ohio Department of Human Services. As a former legislative aide in the Ohio Senate, he also served as counsel to the Senate’s judiciary committee.
He is a graduate of OSU’s College of Law, and was in private law practice for five years.
Friedman said he looks forward to staying at OSU as long as he can and providing value to the university as much as possible.
“I’m excited about being part of a team with Dr. Sanfilippo and the leadership in the medical center, in terms of moving Ohio State’s Health Sciences area ahead,” Friedman said. “It’s just an exciting prospect for me.”
