Essentials of Population Health

Dr. Richard Stefanacci is a faculty member at the Jefferson College of Population Health, where primarily he teaches graduate courses on the essentials of population health. With over 20 years of experience teaching at the university level, Dr. Stefanacci has been instrumental in shaping healthcare professionals’ population health skill sets.

Throughout his career, Dr. Stefanacci has focused on developing and implementing care delivery systems to improve health outcomes especially for two unique populations: frail older adults and children suffering from cancer.

Currently, Dr. Stefanacci serves as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for TauRx Pharmaceuticals, where he is working to bring an innovative oral tau treatment for Alzheimer's disease to patients. He is was the Principal Investigator for TangoBelt/ActiveProtective, assisting in bringing to market a medical device to prevent hip fractures from falls in older adults through FDA approval and Medicare coverage.

Dr. Stefanacci has extensive experience as a CMO for several managed care plans, including ElderHealth/Bravo/HealthSpring/Cigna and PACE (Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) programs. Despite his executive roles, he has maintained an active clinical practice focused on frail older adults, recognizing the importance of leading change directly with care teams.

On the policy side, Dr. Stefanacci served as a Health Policy Scholar for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and as a Visiting Scholar at Thomas Jefferson University's Department of Health Policy. He has authored over 500 publications and delivered more than 1000 lectures nationally and internationally on efficient and effective care delivery.

An active member of several professional associations, Dr. Stefanacci has served on the Boards of his Medical School, American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) and Society for Post-Acute and LTC/AMDA Foundation. He has been honored as a lifetime member of ASCP and the National Association of Directors of Nursing. Dr. Stefanacci is a fellow of both the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the American Geriatric Society, and was awarded the Humanism in Aging Leadership Award from the University of New England's Department of Geriatrics.

One of Dr. Stefanacci's most significant accomplishments is founding the Go4theGoal Foundation,  a 501(c)(3) public charity established in memory of his son. Since its inception, the foundation has raised millions of dollars to assist hundreds of children affected by cancer at nearly 100 children's hospitals nationwide, while also funding cutting-edge research to find a cure.

Dr. Stefanacci's unique combination of clinical practice, executive leadership, policy expertise, and personal dedication to improving care outcomes makes him a valuable resource for students and stakeholders in the field of population health, geriatric care, and pediatric oncology.