Elizabeth Rula, PhD

Elizabeth Rula, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Neiman Health Policy Institute. With over 15 years of experience leading health services and outcomes research, Dr. Rula strives to establish a strong scientific foundation and objective evidence regarding the value of health care services. Most recently, Dr. Rula was Executive Director of Research and Thought Leadership for Tivity Health where she led research to evaluate, innovate, and optimize the utilization and outcomes of health and wellness programs, including the flagship program SilverSneakers. In this role she fostered productive academic collaborations and spearheaded a thought leadership strategy to establish brand credibility based on rigorous science. Formerly, Dr. Rula served as Principal Investigator at Healthways, Inc. where she led studies evaluating the impact of programs focused on managing chronic disease, decreasing health risk, and reducing health care cost and utilization. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and her research has been featured in media including the Wall Street Journal and CBS News. Dr. Rula earned her doctorate from Vanderbilt University in the field of Pharmacology.