Richard Birrer received his MD degree from Cornell University Medical College in 1975. He did his internship in Family Medicine at the Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, New Jersey and completed his training at the State University of New York, Health Sciences Center of Brooklyn. As Chief Resident he was the recipient of the Parke-Davis Teacher Development Award. In 1982 he completed a Master of Public Health degree in international health policy and management from Harvard University. He was a senior Fulbright scholar in 1984 introducing the principles and practice of family medicine in Egypt. He was chosen as a Health Exchange Scientist to the USSR under the Fogarty program in 1985 and became Salzberg Fellow in 1986. He is the CEO and President of St. Joseph’s Healthcare System, Inc. He is a Professor of Medicine at Cornell. He is a diplomat and fellow in the specialties of Family Practice, Sports Medicine, Geriatrics, Emergency Medicine and Medical Management (Certified Physician Executive). Dr. Birrer is the author of over 250 peer reviewed articles and monographs and 10 textbooks and is a member of number of editorial boards