Joseph Zickafoose, MD, MS

Joseph (Joe) Zickafoose, M.D., M.S. is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of General Pediatrics at the University of Michigan. Originally from Tipp City, Ohio, Dr. Zickafoose completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at Case Western Reserve University followed by a residency and chief residency in pediatrics at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, all in Cleveland, Ohio. After briefly practicing as a full-time primary care and hospitalist pediatrician, he completed a fellowship in pediatric health services research in the Child Health and Evaluation Research (CHEAR) Unit and a Master of Science in Health and Health Care Research through the Rackham School of Graduate Studies at the University of Michigan.

After the completion of his research fellowship, Dr. Zickafoose worked for over a decade with Mathematica, a private policy research firm, while continuing to practice in primary care. During this time, he directed and contributed to a wide range of research, evaluation, policy consulting, and quality improvement projects for federal agencies, including the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center (CMMI), the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), state Medicaid and child welfare agencies, and foundations. After fellowship, he continued to practice primary care with the University of Michigan for several years before moving to Nashville, Tennessee. For a decade with Vanderbilt Children's Primary Care practice, Dr. Zickafoose provided primary care for children in families who primarily spoke Spanish and were enrolled in public health insurance programs. He returned to the University of Michigan in early 2026.

Dr. Zickafoose is a health services and health policy researcher whose research focuses on health care services for children, public health insurance policy, and the intersections between them. The major focuses of his work include (1) improving access to and the quality of health care for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), (2) understanding and improving health insurance policies and health care systems for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), and (3) evaluating health care delivery and policy innovations.

Education

M.S., Health and Healthcare Research, University of Michigan, 2010
M.D., Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2004
B.A., Case Western Reserve University, 2000