Dr. Skinner is President of the Fraser Institute and Director of Bio-Pharma & Health Policy, Director of Insurance Policy Research at the Institute. He holds a Ph.D from the University of Western Ontario where he has lectured in both the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Political Science Department. He earned a B.A. through the University of Windsor and an M.A. through joint studies between the University of Windsor and Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

He has also worked as a research consultant to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. His research has been published in many major papers, articles, and opinion editorials through the Fraser Institute as well as the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He appears and is cited frequently as an expert in the Canadian, American, and global media and has presented his research at conferences and events around the world, twice testifying about his research before the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Health.