Richard Safeer M.D.

Dr. Richard Safeer is chief medical director of employee health and well-being at Johns Hopkins Medicine and is the author of A Cure for the Common Company: A Well-Being Prescription for a Happier, Healthier and More Resilient Workforce. He completed his residency in family medicine and a faculty development fellowship. He is certified in clinical lipidology and is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and the American College of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Safeer practiced family medicine in Virginia before becoming a faculty member at the George Washington University, serving as residency director of family medicine in his last year. He was the medical director of an Occupational Health Center in Baltimore and wellness director for the Mid-Atlantic region of the parent company just before starting at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield as the medical director of preventive medicine. Dr. Safeer has been credited by some for bringing “wellness” to the realm of the managed care industry. He also led CareFirst BCBS to be among the first cohort of health plans to be accredited for wellness by NCQA. Dr. Safeer holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the American University, where he taught organizational health. His responsibilities at Hopkins include leading the employee health and well-being initiative, Healthy at Hopkins, and advising the institution on matters related to health plan benefits, occupational health and the employee assistance program. Dr. Safeer’s work is widely published, and he regularly speaks to national audiences on the employee health and well-being space, focusing on how to create healthy workplace cultures. He previously served on the board of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, a professional organization he helped establish. Dr. Safeer completed his B.S. degree in nutrition at Cornell University before graduating from medical school at the University at Buffalo—SUNY (magna cum laude).