David Polakoff, M.D., M.Sc.

David Polakoff was named Chief Medical Office for Commonwealth Medicine and Director for the Center for Health Policy and Research in December, 2011. In this role, he provides oversight for all clinical programs within Commonwealth Medicine, and leads the varied research and policy activities and programs of the Center. In 2013, he also assumed the role of Associate Dean for Commonwealth Medicine.

Previously, as Director of the Office of Clinical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer of MassHealth, Dr. Polakoff was focused on improving health care access and quality for members of MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program. He was responsible for proactively establishing and monitoring systems for clinical integrity at MassHealth to ensure ongoing quality improvement and cost containment.

Prior to joining UMass Medical School’s Office of Clinical Affairs, Dr. Polakoff served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Genesis HealthCare, one of the nation's largest long-term care and rehabilitation therapy providers. At Genesis HealthCare, he oversaw large scale health care operations, and also served as the President of Genesis Physician Services, a medical practice with over one hundred providers. Earlier in his career, he spent seven years as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Mariner Healthcare, another national provider of integrated health services for the senior population.

As an internist specializing in geriatrics, he often speaks on policy and clinical care issues such as housing for an aging population, management of chronic illness, Medicare policy, and quality improvement in hospitals.

Dr. Polakoff received his medical degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He completed a residency in internal medicine at University Hospital in Boston and a fellowship in geriatric medicine through a combined program at Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine. He also holds a master’s degree in epidemiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.