Faculty

Background and Expertise:

Dr. Kavaler is Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management in the School of Public Health, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, College of Medicine, Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Kavaler also currently serves as Associate Dean for Research Administration. She was formerly Assistant Surgeon General and Director of the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital, Staten Island, New York; Study Director, Milbank Memorial Fund Commission for the Study of Higher Education for Public Health; and Assistant Commissioner for Health and Medical Insurance Programs, New York City Health Department and Principal Clinical Coordinator, IPRO, New York. Dr. Kavaler is currently the Chair of the New York State Board for Medicine. Dr. Kavaler was educated at Barnard College (BA), SUNY Downstate Medical Center (MD), and Columbia University School of Public Health and Administrative Medicine (MS, MPH). She is a Diplomate, American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians; a licensed nursing home administrator (New York); and a licensed health care risk manager (Florida Department of Insurance). Dr. Kavaler is President, Institute of Medical Law, Inc. (New York), which offers seminars in Health Care Risk Management; and President, Medical Network Managers, Inc. (New York), which has health care consulting contracts with nursing homes, HMOs, and varied health agencies. Her consultation skills capitalize on extensive experience in hospital administration, ambulatory care services, health insurance, long-term care, and malpractice analysis. Wide experience in long-term care stems from her role as a regulator in the nursing home industry, and as a medical director of a combined skilled nursing/intermediate care facility. Her many publications address the areas of medical care evaluation in multiple settings, administrative public policy dynamics, and research activities in drug addiction, hospital cost control, aging, public health, and aspects of medical history.