Rachael L. Fleurence, PhD, MSc, is a senior health economist and senior policy advisor specializing in learning health networks, health technology assessment (HTA), and the application of generative artificial intelligence in science and research. She currently serves as a senior advisor to the Bipolar Action Network (Mass General Brigham), the Youth Mental Health Network (Children’s Health Association), and the Food Allergy Network (Children’s Hospital of Atlanta). She also serves as research affiliate for the Center for Health Technology Assessment at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Fleurence previously served as Senior Advisor to Dr. Francis Collins at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she led strategic and operational efforts for a national Hepatitis C elimination initiative that helped catalyze bipartisan legislation in the United States Congress. She also advised the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Earlier, she served in the Biden–Harris White House as a senior health policy advisor and at NIH in a senior advisory role, contributing to the federal COVID-19 response, including oversight of the Say Yes! COVID Test initiative and participation in White House pandemic policy groups. Prior to her federal service, Dr. Fleurence led the National Evaluation System for Health Technology Coordinating Center (NESTcc) and PCORnet at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Earlier in her career, she worked in health economics, outcomes research, and management consulting.
Dr. Fleurence co-chairs the ISPOR Task Force on Generative AI in Systematic Literature Reviews and previously co-led the ISPOR Task Force on Electronic Health Records for HTA. She received the inaugural ISPOR Impact Award in 2025 for contributions to advancing Hepatitis C elimination in the United States, and the 2026 Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) John M. Eisenberg Award for Practical Application of Medical Decision-Making Research (both shared with Jag Chhatwal). Her additional honors include multiple NIH Director’s Awards, the HHS Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service, and recognition as a National Champion for Global Hepatitis Elimination (2023), shared with Francis Collins.
She serves on the boards of the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI) and ImproveCareNow, and is an Associate Editor for Value in Health. Her current work focuses on scaling learning health networks and advancing the use of generative AI and real-world evidence to improve clinical research and inform health policy. She holds degrees from the University of Cambridge, ESSEC Business School (Paris), and the University of York (UK).