Honoring the Life & Legacy of Dr. Gail R. Wilensky

Washington, D.C. (15 July 2024) – With heavy hearts, Project HOPE mourns the passing of our dear friend, colleague, and board director, Dr. Gail R. Wilensky. Gail dedicated her life to advancing health care reform and significantly contributed to public health policy. She selflessly gave more than 40 years of her career to Project HOPE as a health economist and senior fellow. 

Gail was one of the health care field’s most influential women and received the Richard T. Clark Lifetime Achievement Award at Project HOPE’s 2024 Beacons of HOPE event for her outstanding leadership and significant contributions to the organization’s success. Throughout her career, she directed Medicare and Medicaid programs and served in the White House as a senior advisor on health and welfare issues to President George H. W. Bush. In addition, she co-chaired the Bipartisan Policy Center’s initiative on the future of health care and was an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.  

Gail’s accomplishments at Project HOPE began when she was recruited in 1983 by our founder, Dr. William B. Walsh, to help launch a policy center that became the Center for Health Affairs. That legacy lives on today in Health Affairs, which serves as the leading journal of health policy thought and research in the United States. After her time in the Bush Administration, Gail returned to Project HOPE in 1993, where she served as a senior fellow and member of our Board of Directors until her passing. 

Gail’s legacy will continue to inspire and guide future generations in health care reform. She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, colleagues, and the countless individuals whose lives she touched. Her family is in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.