Eduardo Sanchez

Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas

Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H. serves as vice president and chief medical officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX), where he plays a key role in helping the company fulfill its mission of improving the health and well-being of BCBSTX members and communities across the state.

Dr. Sanchez served as Director of the Institute for Health Policy at The University of Texas (UT) School of Public Health before joining Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, and prior to that, he served as Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services from 2004 to 2006 and the Texas Department of Health from 2001 to 2004.

Trained as a family physician, Dr. Sanchez practiced clinical medicine in Austin, Texas, from 1992 to 2001.  He served as the city/county local health officer and Chief Medical Officer for the Austin-Travis County Health and Human Services Department from 1994 to 1998.

Dr. Sanchez received his M.D. degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas in 1988 and completed his family medicine residency in San Antonio, Texas.  He holds an M.P.H. from the UT School of Public Health, an M.S. in biomedical engineering from Duke University, a B.S. in biomedical engineering and a B.A. in chemistry from Boston University.

Dr. Sanchez is serving as Chair of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Chair of the National Commission on Prevention Priorities (NCPP).  Also, Dr. Sanchez chaired the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention Actions for Local Governments, whose report was released in early September 2009.

In addition, he co-chaired the National Governors' Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices Shaping a Healthier Generation Advisory Council whose report was released in mid-September.  Dr. Sanchez is also a member of the IOM Standing Committee on Childhood Obesity.