Uwe Reinhardt, the James Madison Professor of Political Economy and professor of economics and public affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School, died Nov. 13, 2017
Uwe Reinhardt, the James Madison Professor of Political Economy and professor of economics and public affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School, died Nov. 13, 2017
I ‘discovered’ Professor Reinhardt at a healthcare event on Capitol Hill he was speaking at. And what impression he made. He brought wit, clarity and crispness that could only be accomplished by someone with deep knowledge and understanding. I’ve followed him ever since and have been hoping he’d be a voice of reason in the morass upon us in the healthcare debate. This is a loss to us all and do not pretend to know the loss felt by his family and colleagues.
Uwe was a one -of-a kind teacher and remarkable person. As an undergraduate, I was fortunate to work as his research assistant during the summer of 1973, and to get to know him at lunches in the old student center. I also took his accounting and corporate finance classes. Uwe’s entertaining insights were never limited to health care economics. He would opine on all sorts of topics in the most original way. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to Mei and his children.
Uwe, Thank You!
My condolences to May and family. Your lessons in health system economics honors both financial capital and ethical capital, a perspective that is increasingly important in today’s climate of “malignant” capitalism. Your academic brightness and humor will live on as an inspiration to many of us. May the US health system corporate leaders no longer “tinkle on our rose garden”.
Uwe was unique- brilliant, thoughtful, very knowledgeable, and often extremely funny. He was liked by all who knew him, and he willl be sorly missed. RIP Uwe.
Uwe was a giant in his profession. His combination of insightful economic analysis and wit knew no equal. I always, always looked forward to hearing what Uwe had to say. We are proud to have hosted him at the Cato Institute, to have debated him, and to have called him a friend. The Cato Institute offers its condolences to the Reinhardt family, for whom Uwe made no secret of his love, and to all those in the health policy and economics professions who will miss him dearly.
I had the wonderful opportunity to serve with Uwe on the PPRC from 1989-1992 and over the years enjoyed any chance I had to engage with him regarding the dysfunctional U.S. health care system. He was totally intellectually honest and possessed a truly unique ability to communicate his well-reasoned, sharply critical message with humor and a smile on his face. A tragic loss to May and his family, to Princeton and our country.
Professor Reinhardt’s course on economics shaped the way I understand the world. In McCosh each morning, he seized economic theories like knitting needles, and with them stitched recognizable patterns from the tangled yarn of life. Each class led to a new insight on the workings of the world, as well as a good laugh on whatever topic took the brunt of his sardonic wit. (Brad and Angelina’s impending nuptials were, at the time, a hot topic meriting incisive economic analysis).
As a professional seeking to improve our healthcare system, I have relied upon his work from afar. All Americans are in his debt for his contribution to enhancing our understanding of healthcare; its repair is critical to our national enterprise.
In this time celebrating his life and mourning his loss, I send my deepest regards to his family, friends and colleagues. I shall be forever grateful to have been his student.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Lankester ’08
I had the pleasure of knowing Professor Reinhardt through my mother who was his faculty assistant for 11 years. I also was an employee of Princeton for over 25 years. I was able to attend his various speaking engagements on campus. Always enlightening. He managed to bring real life events into his thought-provoking speeches. His humor and wit were undeniable. He was one of the most humble, down-to-earth gentleman I had the chance to meet. He was the topic of many conversations at my family’s dinner table…..usually a story he shared with my mom that left us laughing. I didn’t know him as a student, or on Capitol Hill, or policy reform. I knew him as a dad and a man who started his life in Germany, but I was inspired by him like many others. A loss felt by many…..across all walks of life. Thank you for the laughter.
Uwe, thank you, so much.
I couldn’t have the opportunity to meet him in person, but what he had contributed to my home country, Taiwan, completely changed my life. Uwe did use knowledge to shape how people live their lives.
This is a loss for us all, but I also appreciate how lucky we were to have had someone like Uwe. Le’ts keep fighting this good fight, making health care system more efficient, just like what Uwe had done, just like what Uwe had taught us.
I send my deepest regards to his family and loved ones.
Sincerely,
Sih-Ting
Professor Reinhardt taught me for 4 weeks during my freshman fall, as part of an economics survey course. I will never forget his wit, and profound clarity of thought. The power of both has remained with me since. I’m not sure he would have remembered who I was, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget the experience of being taught by him.
My deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
I personally consider Prof. Reinhardt as a beacon of light in American healthcare and health policy as an outside observer. He still serves as an inspiration to me years after I completed my doctorate at Heidelberg University although the closest I got to meeting him was attending the World Congress of IHEA in Copenhagen. I appeal to his mentees to spread further and father his wisdom and passion.
Back in 1979 or 80 I was hired as Professor Reinhardt’s Technical Secretary (the first full-time position I held at Princeton University). I recall how brilliant he was and how much the students loved him. I also remember he and May coming to my home to bring me a Christmas gift and the times the 3 of us lunched together at Prospect Gardens.
I feel so blessed that I had Uwe as my first full-time position after the birth of my daughter and my heart and prayers go out to May and their children and gradchildren at this most difficult time. Professor Reinhardt, you will be remembered fondly.
Dear May and family My sincerest condolences to each of you on Uwes death. For 28th years I was privileged to get to know and work with your family .The contributions made to Princeton our country and the world will be a legacy unparalleled in healthcare. I shall never forget his intellect and humor and willing Ness to share PEACE. Millard M Riggs Jr PRINCETON
Professor Reinhardt your accounting class was arguably the hardest but most fun and memorable of all. Your thinking and writing on Health Care were informative and inspiring. But I will most remember him for the lesson he taught me when i asked him to be my thesis advisor and he very politely declined because i asked him too late and he was booked up. It was a needed jolt to me to be more planful and assertive when asking adults for help! I share this story with my students now all the time. Many thanks to Professor Reinhardt and condolences to his family and friends.
Professor Reinhardt’s accounting class was arguably the hardest but most fun and memorable of all. His thinking and writing on Health Care were informative and inspiring. But I will most remember him for the lesson he taught me when i asked him to be my thesis advisor and he very politely declined because i asked him too late and he was booked up. It was a needed jolt to me to be more planful and assertive when asking adults for help! I share this story with my students now all the time. Many thanks to Professor Reinhardt and condolences to his family and friends.
I knew Uwe and May before they had their family and started their life in Princeton. Uwe and my family are related on his mother’s side and we went to their wedding in New Haven. Later, they invited my sister and I to visit them at their first house in Princeton. As a 17 year old, I was deeply impressed with how brilliantly and fully they lived their lives and their cultures. Uwe introduced me to his colleagues at a dinner they held, he showed me the Princeton campus, I was captivated by his warmth, generosity and wit. I will never forget Uwe and May and I send my heartfelt condolences to May and their sons and daughter for their loss. I would love to come to Uwe’s memorial, but don’t know how to contact the family as we lost touch. Beverly Burns, Freehold, NJ 732-991-0634
I met Uwe on the halls of Princeton’s CHW and was lucky enough to TA for him for a semester. He was a kind man, with a great sense of humor, who was generous in everything he did. His bright mind and kind spirit made every interaction with him memorable: from discussing basic economic principles, to talking about the healthcare system, or chatting about life. Besides his many contributions to his fields of study, Uwe was an outstanding member of the community and it was easy to see that he deeply cherished his family life and was a proud and loving husband and father. I will remember Uwe fondly. My condolences to his family and friends.
Farewell to my dear Princeton professor and mentor, for whom I was a teaching assistant for three courses. A renowned health care economist, he delighted in teaching an unusual course on accounting. According to my notes (which I still keep, a testament to the enduring and universal nature of what he taught), those tenets included:
1. Normal human beings tend to structure information so as to maximize their own advantage;
2. In the absence of sanctions, truth among adults would be a random event; and
3. Modern accounting principles are an attempt to put limits on the lying that would otherwise occur. But these limits to lying by adults are still very wide.
And such was my introduction to a cynical-realist perspective!
I think Professor Reinhardt’s three brilliant, funny and deeply kind children — who view everyone in the light of a common humanity — are as inspiring a legacy as anything else.
I remember several things about Prof. Reinhardt:
– I did not like the course material of his Microeconomics class at all, but his lectures were more than worth putting up with dusty supply & demand curves. Especially interesting was the contrast between his sincere interest in helping people via health care and welfare, and his cynicism about how our government implemented it (too often to benefit of insurance and other for-profit companies rather than those in need). He was simply one of the lecturers you had to fit in, no matter what your major.
– His PAW editorial of being a boy in Germany as the Allies liberated it touched my curiosity, as my grandfather was one of those liberators.
– His cogent commentary of health care financing on NPR over the last 20 years or so. I hope he was deposed by Congress many times, and that those in Congress will refer back to that expert testimony.
I was on campus just recently for my tenth reunion and was reminded I would not be where I am today without the instruction I received from all my professors, including Professor Reinhardt. I am sad he is no longer with us, but I wanted to express my gratitude for all that he taught me. (ECO100 Spring 2007)