Three Senior Fellows of the University of Pennsylvania Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) — Rachel M. Werner, MD, PhD; Eric T. Roberts, PhD; and Joseph Nwadiuko, MD, PhD — have received top 2026 Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) awards. The awards will be presented at SGIM’s May 7 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

SGIM, which has over 3,300 members, is a professional organization for academic internists who teach at nearly every medical school and major teaching hospital in the country. Its mission has evolved to focus heavily on elminating health care disparities, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and promoting evidence-based, person-centered care.

Rachel M. Werner, Executive Director of the Leonared Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) and Professor at both the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School, has won the (SGIM) 2026 John M. Eisenberg National Award for Career Achievements in Research.

One of SGIM’s highest honors, the Eisenberg Award annually recognizes the career achievements of a senior SGIM member “whose innovative research has changed the way we care for patients, conduct research, educate students, and inform health policy.”

“Tremendous Impact”

In his award notification letter, John Malfi, MD, MPH, Chair of the SGIM Eisenberg Award Selection Committee, lauded Werner as an “Outstanding health services researcher and economist whose work continues to have a tremendous impact on federal health policy.”

Werner is a leading general internist and health economist whose research has reshaped how health care quality is measured and incentivized in the United States. Over more than two decades, she has applied rigorous economic methods to clinical and policy questions, strengthening the impact of health services research.

Her early work challenged the assumption that public reporting of provider quality improves care, showing it often fails to achieve intended effects. She also demonstrated that financial incentives can produce unintended consequences, including worsening racial disparities. This insight helped reframe policy evaluation by emphasizing equity alongside quality.

Her research has significantly influenced policy and practice, helping establish more rigorous standards for evaluating quality improvement programs. Federal policymakers now incorporate equity metrics and design incentives aimed at reducing disparities. Her work has been cited more than 13,000 times and informs national policy discussions.

Werner has also shaped the careers of dozens of investigators, formally mentoring more than 75 researchers and leading multiple NIH-funded training programs. Her mentees consistently secure funding and advance into leadership roles.

As Executive Director of Penn’s Leonard Davis Institute, she has strengthened research infrastructure, secured major funding, and convened national collaborations. Her career reflects sustained federal support, national recognition, and lasting impact on health policy and care delivery.

Eric Roberts, an Associate Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine, is the winner of the 2026 SGIM Best Published Research Paper of the Year Award for “Loss of Subsidized Drug Coverage and Mortality among Medicare Beneficiaries” published in May 14, 2025 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Elegant yet Intuitive Design

Carlos Oronce, MD, MPH, Chair of the SGIM Best Published Research Paper Selection Committee, said the study “study stood out for its elegant yet intuitive design, leveraging a natural experiment to provide compelling evidence that loss of subsidized prescription drug coverage is associated with higher mortality among low-income Medicare beneficiaries.”

Roberts studies the delivery and financing of care in U.S. public insurance programs and health care delivery systems. His research program encompasses three intersecting areas: 1) health insurance for low-income individuals with Medicare and Medicaid (the “dual eligibles”), 2) Medicare and Medicaid managed care, and 3) the effects of payment and delivery system reform on health care disparities.

Founders Grant

Joseph Nwadiuko, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, won the $10,000 2026 SGIM Founders Grant for his proposed research project, “Health Impacts of Health Care Privatization on Mortality in Texas County Jails.”

The SGIM Founders’ Grant program was created to provide support to junior investigators who exhibit significant potential for a successful research career and who need to establish a strong research funding base.

Nwadiuko’s research looks at global health and health systems with a focus on immigration and incarceration.

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