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Barbara J. McNeil, MD, PhD, is the Ridley Watts Professor and the founding Head of the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School (HMS). McNeil is also a Professor of Radiology at HMS and Brigham and Women's Hospital, where she practices nuclear medicine one day a week. She was one of the first women professors in the quad at HMS and the interim dean in summer 2007.

McNeil is a member of the Blue Cross Technology Evaluation Commission and a former chair of the Medicare Evidence Development Coverage Advisory Committee (MedCAC). She also serves as an advisor for several other federal and private organizations, and previously served on the Publications Committee of the New England Journal of Medicine and the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission.

McNeil’s original career path involved research in decision analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis. More recently, her work has focused on quality of care and technology assessment. Her research involves relationships with payers, providers and the federal government. Her largest ongoing study compares quality of care in the Veterans Affairs system with that in the private setting for patients with cancer. For several years she coordinated several large studies comparing the value of alternative imaging modalities for patients with cancer.

McNeil received her A.B. degree from Emmanuel College, her M.D. from HMS, and her Ph.D. from Harvard University. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine and the Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board (NRSB) -- both of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). She is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

McNeil was appointed as a member of the PCORI Board of Governors by the Comptroller General of the United States in September 2014.

In September 2020, McNeil was reappointed to a second term, until September 2026.