Dr. Cody Miller Pyke (’20 J.D., ’21 LL.M.)
Sept. 26, 2024 - Dr. Cody Miller Pyke made history in 2023 as the first openly transgender and non-binary person to serve on the board of trustees for Harris Health. As the only public safety net healthcare system for the nation’s third-largest county, Harris Health is one of the largest public healthcare systems in both Texas and the U.S.
Pyke, a 2020 graduate of the University Law Center and the recipient of a Health Law LL.M. in 2021, was initially appointed to board last summer. She was elected unanimously as a vice chair by fellow board members last December.
Pyke is a firm believer in the mantra of, “people don’t know what they don’t know” when it comes to understanding underrepresented communities, and applies that to their service on the Harris Health board.
“It’s been interesting,” Pyke said. “I’m sure some day I’ll write a book about it. The appointment fundamentally changes how conversations are had, and it puts someone from my community in a position of influence. By virtue of me being on the board, people in the room are learning more about trans issues because there’s a trans voice at the table. That is why representation matters.”
Harris Health, an over $2.5 billion health system, oversees the county’s hospital district, which includes two hospitals and numerous clinics that serve the underserved patients in the area. The volunteer board works through a wide variety of issues that arise in the health care system.
“The board oversees a wide range of things within Harris Health: from internal policies for handling certain kind of disputes, all the way to ensuring we are closely monitoring healthcare quality at our facilities,” Pyke said. “We review patient cases, vote on physician credentialing, and discuss important contracts. Essentially, if you think of something that goes into running a hospital, the board is likely involved in some capacity in an oversight role.”
In addition to their legal education, Pyke received a master’s degree in science from Clarkson University in 2018, and a doctorate of medicine from the Baylor College of Medicine in 2022. Pyke was approached to serve in the role by the office of Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones.
“Our first priority is always patient care, patient outcomes and doing what’s best for the health and well-being of people who are our patients—the residents of Harris County,” Pyke said. “But also, it is a large entity. We have to think about things like how do we prevent provider burnout? Are we making sure that our employees have a happy and safe work environment? How are we collaborating with our partner medical schools to continue providing a stellar education to the next generation of physicians?
“There are a lot of moving parts, but I really felt called to accept the Commissioner’s nomination because of my strong belief in the system as a whole from my experiences with Harris Health as a medical student.”
Pyke’s interest in pursuing a legal education began when she saw how the law greatly impacts the practice of medicine. While a medical student, Pyke was involved with an organization called Doctors for Change, a nonprofit that does advocacy for evidence-based practices in medicine and policy reform. Pyke attended to the 2017 Texas legislative session, supporting work that would advance maternal healthcare, particularly focusing on perinatal mental health issues like postpartum depression.
“The [2021] Legislature was really where I caught the policy bug. Well, that combined with my medical school’s ethics training,” Pyke said. “I wanted to study medicine because I saw a healthcare system that was not serving everyone. I wanted to make it better. I think about things systemically. I once had a mentor tell me I think like a lawyer, but have the heart of a doctor. I really dug into the issues that overlap between law and medicine. I recognized through my coursework and my first-hand experiences that law dictates so much of the practice of medicine.”
Through her own research, Pyke learned of an existing partnership between Baylor College of Medicine and the Law Center where she could obtain a J.D. in just two years.
“Pretty much within my first couple of months of law school I recognized this is where I’m supposed to be,” Pyke said. “After all these combined experiences, I recognized that while I really enjoy medicine and taking care of patients, my calling is at the intersection of law and medicine.”
Pyke returned to the Texas legislature in 2021, working for state Sen. Carol Alvarado as a health policy analyst as part of a fellowship through the Law Center.
Currently, Pyke is putting their specialty in law and medicine to use now as an adjunct instructor at the University of Houston’s Tilman J. Fertitta College of Medicine. They teach classes in medical ethics and LGBTQ+ health. When not teaching or serving on the Harris Health board, Pyke is advocating for her clients as a practicing attorney and civil litigator.
“Medical education has so much squeezed into it,” Pyke said. “There are so many issues, then you slap on top of that the complexities of the insurance system and Medicare and Medicaid. Students are overwhelmed, and have valid concerns. It’s my job to try to teach them more about the realities physicians face while trying to do the best to take care of their patients.”
