Dr. Garber is the Henry J. Kaiser Jr. Professor at Stanford University, where he is also a Professor of Medicine, and Professor (by courtesy) of Economics, Health Research and Policy, and of Economics in the Graduate School of Business. He has been Director of both the University’s Center for Health Policy and the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research at the School of Medicine since their founding. Dr. Garber is a Staff Physician at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Associate Director of the VA Center for Health Care Evaluation. He is former chair of the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee and a member of the Board of Health Advisers of the Congressional Budget Office, and a member of the Institute of Medicine. He is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and founded its Health Care Program, serving as its director for 19 years.

His research is directed toward methods for improving health care delivery and financing, particularly for the elderly. His research spans methods for determining the cost-effectiveness of health interventions, comparative effectiveness, and along with ways to structure financial and organizational incentives to ensure that cost-effective care is delivered.