In Memoriam: Jim Burgess.

Jim Burgess, professor of health law, policy & management, passed away on June 26 after a long battle with cancer.

Burgess joined the faculty at the School of Public Health in 1999. During his long career as an economist, he made seminal contributions across a wide array of health economics topics, most notably in the measurement of healthcare quality and cost. He was also passionate about mentoring and teaching, helping develop the careers of dozens of students, and received the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) John M. Eisenberg Excellence in Mentoring award in 2015.

This spring, Burgess was named as co-editor in chief of Health Services Research, an official journal of AcademyHealth where he was previously a senior associate editor. Burgess also chaired the Methods Council of AcademyHealth and its Health Services Research Learning Consortium. He was also a founding co-editor of Health Economics Letters, the first fully electronic peer-reviewed journal in health economics, and an associate editor of its parent journal, Health Economics.

Burgess was remembered and honored by colleagues at the International Health Economics Association (IHEA) Biennial World Congress on July 8. Burgess, who was the IHEA’s treasurer, chaired the effort to bring the 2017 World Congress to Boston University, where it was hosted by the Questrom School of Business.

“I want to speak for the School of Public Health to say how deeply Jim will be missed,” Dean Sandro Galea said during the congress. “He was a much-valued colleague. This meeting is one part of Jim’s legacy; he leaves behind a record of excellence and commitment to the field and the School. He made the world a bit better, and for that we are forever in his debt.”

That sentiment is echoed by Burgess’ colleagues. “We all will remember his endless enthusiasm, his ever-present cheerfulness, and his readiness to lend a hand whenever asked,” says Kathleen Carey, professor of health law, policy & management. “As a teacher, he was indefatigable and wholly involved in the work of a generation of students going out into the world with the combined SPH and Burgess imprint,” says Michael Stein, chair of health law, policy & management.

Doctoral student Michal Horný agrees. “All doctoral students wanted to work with him,” he says, “and he, in his infinite generosity, wanted to work with all of them too. Jim was such a bright soul and a sincere person. I am really sad that he cannot be at my dissertation defense, but I am grateful for the time I got to spend with him as his mentee.”

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to All Saints Memorial Church, 674 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903, or the Boston University School of Public Health Development & Alumni Relations, Talbot building, 5th Floor East, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA, 02118; Attn: Jacoba van Heugten, in tribute to James Burgess, Jr.

—Michelle Samuels