Berwick for Governor

Don is a pediatrician who served low-income communities in Boston for 20 years. Don co-founded the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), which he grew into the world’s preeminent health care improvement organization. IHI has been credited with saving hundreds of thousands of lives and strengthening communities both in the U.S. and around the world. Don has been named to the list of most influential health care leaders in the country every year for more than a decade. In 2011, he ranked #4 on the list – just after President Obama.

In 2011, Don was picked by President Obama to run the Medicaid and Medicare programs. He took charge of an agency with a budget over $800 billion—larger than the Pentagon’s—and led a staff of more than 5,500 people during the critical implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Right-wing pundits attacked his commitment to a progressive agenda. Glenn Beck labeled him the “second most dangerous man in America.” In the face of the same Republicans who blocked Elizabeth Warren’s confirmation to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Don was forced to step aside after only 17 months leading Medicaid and Medicare. But Don was inspired by the potential of public service to improve communities, which has led him to return to Massachusetts and enter the race for Governor.