Who is Christopher Afendulis?
Christopher Afendulis holds the position of senior research analyst and also works as a lecturer within Stanford University’s Department of Health Research and Policy.
According to his Stanford bio,
“Christopher is interested in the economics of health care, including the financing of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the provision of long-term care, and the effects of managed care on the health care system.”
Once he obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, Christopher pursued a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
After he completed his education, he served as a healthcare policy lecturer at Harvard Medical School for nine years, from 2006 to 2015. After that, he dedicated three years to being a research associate at the university.
Christopher Afendulis’ Wife
Christopher Afendulis is married to Claudine Gay, who was born on August 4, 1970, in New York City, New York. She is an educator who attained her bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University. Following in her husband’s footsteps, she also completed her Ph.D. at Harvard University in 1998.
Claudine held the position of assistant professor at Stanford University from 2000 to 2006. In her last year at Stanford, she and Christopher became parents to their first child.
In 2006, Claudine started her job as a government professor. She then moved on to teach African and African-American Studies in 2007, a role she held until 2015 when she became the dean of the social science department.
In 2015, Christopher Afendulis’ wife became the Dean of Social Sciences at the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and was also named the Wilbur A. Cowett Professor of Government and of African and African-American Studies. In 2018, she was selected to serve as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
While serving as dean, Gay took action against several Harvard professors who were accused of sexual misconduct. This included revoking the emeritus status of retired professors Jorge I. Domínguez and Gary Urton, as well as placing professors John Comaroff and Roland G. Fryer Jr. on leave due to allegations of sexual harassment against them.
In June of 2022, Lawrence Bacow, the President of Harvard University, declared his intention to step down from his position after one year. A search committee, headed by Penny Pritzker, evaluated 600 candidates and ultimately chose Gay as Bacow’s successor.
On December 15, 2022, Harvard disclosed that Gay had been appointed as the 30th president of the institution. She officially assumed the role on July 1, 2023, becoming the first Black president in the university’s history.
Christopher Afendulis’s wife, Claudine Gay, revealed her decision to step down from her role on January 2, 2024. In light of her resignation, Alan Garber, the provost of Harvard, was appointed as the temporary president. Despite her departure, Gay continued to work as a member of the Harvard faculty.
