Rishi K. Wadhera, M.D., M.P.P., M.Phil., is Director of the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Institute for Evidence, Innovation, and Policy at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he leads a multidisciplinary research enterprise that brings together multiple centers and more than 60 faculty investigators, statisticians, research staff, and postdoctoral fellows. He is also a cardiologist, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Alongside leading the Smith Institute, Dr. Wadhera founded its Center for Health Policy, a research program that uses causal inference methods to evaluate how health policies and reforms affect access, affordability, quality, and health outcomes. His work has examined the impact of national value-based policies enacted under the Affordable Care Act, the design and expansion of public health insurance programs, safety-net policies such as SNAP, the Inflation Reduction Act's effect on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, and private equity acquisitions of hospitals. He has also quantified changes in cardiovascular health and disparities amid an evolving U.S. policy landscape. Dr. Wadhera has authored >300 peer-reviewed publications. He is Principal Investigator on three active NIH R01 grants, the American Heart Association Established Investigator Award, and several other awards. His research has been widely cited in Congressional testimony, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission reports, and ACC/AHA clinical guidelines, and he has advised the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Congressional committees. Dr. Wadhera has mentored over 40 medical students, residents, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career faculty, and is currently primary mentor on seven active NIH K23, American Heart Association, and other career development awards. His mentorship has been recognized with the Harvard Medical School Excellence in Mentoring Award.

Dr. Wadhera serves on the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council, the NCQA Measurement Advisory Panel, and Technical Expert Panels for quality measures used in Medicare programs. He is an Associate Editor for the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and previously served as Senior Associate Editor for Health Services Research.