CHICAGO, Ill. (June 28, 2009) – AcademyHealth announced its 2009 award winners today, recognizing leading researchers in different stages of their careers for significant contributions for the fields of health services research and policy.
"These prestigious awards, each independently selected by distinguished leaders from our field, honor new and established leaders whose research advances policy and practice to improve health and health care," said W. David Helms, Ph.D., president and CEO of AcademyHealth.
The following awards will be presented at the 2009 Annual Research Meeting, June 28-30 in Chicago:
DISTINGUISHED INVESTIGATOR AWARD
Willard G. Manning, Jr., Ph.D.
Dr. Manning is a professor in the Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago with a secondary appointment in the Department of Health Studies. Dr. Manning's primary area of interest has been the effect of insurance on health care cost, utilization, and health status. His work has also included economic evaluation of health treatment and cost-effectiveness analysis and the economics of poor health habits.
The Distinguished Investigator Award recognizes investigators who have made significant and lasting contributions to the field of health services research through scholarship, teaching, advancement of science and methods, and leadership. Notable past recipients include David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Karen Davis, Ph.D., The Commonwealth Fund; Mark V. Pauly, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania; and Uwe Reinhardt, Ph.D., Princeton University.
ALICE S. HERSH NEW INVESTIGATOR AWARD
Hongmai Pham, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Pham is a general internist and senior health researcher at the Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington, D.C., where she coordinates research on delivery system issues. Her work focuses on the organization of care delivery, how providers respond to incentives, quality of care, health care disparities, and how each of these areas intersects with payment policy.
Rachel Werner, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Werner is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Core Investigator with the VA Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D) Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion. Dr. Werner's research seeks to understand the role of quality improvement initiatives on provider behavior, the organization of health care, racial disparities, and overall health care quality.
ARTICLE-OF-THE-YEAR AWARD
Amal Trivedi, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Trivedi is recognized for his work as lead author on the article, "Insurance Parity and the Use of Outpatient Mental Health Care Following a Psychiatric Hospitalization," which appeared in the December 2009 issue of JAMA. The article was co-authored by Shailender Swaminathan and Vincent Mor.
Dr. Trivedi is assistant professor of community health at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and research investigator at the Providence VA Medical Center. His research interests include measurement of quality in health care, racial and socioeconomic disparities in health care, and patient and provider incentives that impact the quality and equity of care.
DISSERTATION AWARD
Andrew Ryan, Ph.D., M.A.
Dr. Ryan is recognized for his doctoral dissertation, "The Design of Value-Based Purchasing in Medicare: Theory and Empirical Evidence," which evaluated the effectiveness of hospital-based pay-for-performance and quality reporting programs and their relation to Medicare. Dr. Ryan is a post-doctoral fellow at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and will be joining the faculty of the Weill Cornell Medical College this fall.
AcademyHealth represents a broad community of people with an interest in and commitment to using health services research to improve health care. We promote interaction across the health research and policy arenas by bringing together a broad spectrum of players to share their perspectives, learn from each other, and strengthen their working relationships.