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James R. Knickman is the first President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York State Health Foundation (NYSHF). The Foundation, which began operations in May 2006, is a private philanthropy established with resources from the conversion of Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield from a non-profit to a for-profit corporation. NYSHF received $260 million in assets and expects to make grants throughout New York State totaling approximately $15 million annually. The Foundation focuses on three funding areas: expanding insurance coverage for New Yorkers, improving access to high quality health care, and helping communities improve the health of the public.
Prior to joining NYSHF, James Knickman was Vice President for Research and Evaluation at The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey. At RWJF, Dr. Knickman was responsible for external evaluations of national initiatives supported by the Foundation. He and his staff also took lead roles in developing research initiatives supported by the Foundation and conducting internal analysis related to the Foundation’s grant-making priorities. At various times during his fourteen year tenure at the Foundation, Dr. Knickman led grant-making teams in three areas: clinical care for the chronically ill, long-term care services, and population health.

Between 1976 and 1992, Dr. Knickman was on the faculty at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and directed the university’s Health Research Program, where he conducted research on a range of issues related to health care delivery. Dr. Knickman is currently Chair of the Board of Directors for The Robert Wood Johnson Health System in Central New Jersey. He also is on the Board of the New York Catholic Health Care System and on the editorial boards of the Milbank Quarterly and Inquiry. Dr. Knickman previously served as a chairman of the New Jersey Department of Health’s Cardiac Health Advisory Council and was also a board member of the Academy Health in Washington, DC. He is a graduate of Fordham University (BA) and received a Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Pennsylvania.