40 Under 40 - 2025

Dr. Garth Walker's background in emergency medicine has given him a unique vantage point. 

“Emergency medicine is the first preview in terms of the ills of society,” Walker said. “If we're not serving a population well, or if they're not getting the care they need, they'll show up in the emergency room.”

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Walker served as deputy director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. Next, he was selected by the Biden administration to help create policies surrounding issues such as gun violence, youth mental health, physician burnout and the opioid epidemic for the White House Fellowship program.

Walker then began his career at Chicago-based Rush Health in 2022 as the senior medical director of value-based care and was promoted to chief medical officer a year later. His accomplishments include fostering a partnership with CVS Health aimed at bolstering access to primary care for patients on the city's West Side. 

He said he plans to continue working toward lowering the number of repeat emergency department visits among patients under a value-based care contract at Rush. 

“One of [my] focuses is to be able to make sure we're aligning the right incentives for patients,” Walker said. “What we've learned is that a lot of those populations need more upfront preventive care, because oftentimes they may not have the economic cushion to remain as healthy or cover some of the emergent issues that may come up.”

— Hayley DeSilva