As I’ve said before, AcademyHealth is my dream job because of the organization’s mission to use evidence to improve health and health care for all. And my time here has already been filled with highlights, like ARM, HDP, our D&I conference, and more. However, my first year as CEO was not without its challenges. Just in the last few months, we’ve seen funding freezes and cuts, restricted data and resources, targeting of research content, and ongoing threats to the only federal agency that has statutory authorizations to generate HSR, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
In times like these, especially given the rapid shifts in the federal and policy landscape, it’s clear how important AcademyHealth’s leadership and advocacy for the field are and I’m proud of how we’re responding. Building on this leadership, I’m pleased to share with you our new strategic plan, designed to help us meet this moment and beyond.
New Strategic Focus Areas
While AcademyHealth remains true to our core mission, vision, and values to improve health and health care for all by advancing evidence to inform policy and practice, the new strategic plan introduces a five-year outcome statement to refine our approach: AcademyHealth improves health and health care by fostering trust, championing evidence, communicating effectively, and helping decision makers make informed choices.
In order to achieve this, the strategic plan focuses on three key goals:
- Elevate the Profession: AcademyHealth plays a critical role in making evidence more accessible and actionable by supporting researchers. By helping them conduct increasingly valuable, evidence-based work, we ensure that their contributions drive meaningful impact.
- Broaden our Reach: We are committed to expanding our impact throughout the field by engaging a diverse network of partners, collaborators, and members to ensure real-world impact.
- Focus on Impact (to Drive Change): As a trusted source for innovative and evidence-based solutions and by strengthening our partnerships with policymakers and advocacy groups, we will drive meaningful change.
Moving Forward Together
From the start, the development of a new strategic plan has been incredibly collaborative. Our members, partners, and collaborators will be pivotal to achieving our strategic goals. While we work to invest in the professional development, education, and career advancement of the field, we’ll be relying on member expertise and feedback to shape these initiatives.
We will work with a broad range of stakeholders to build stronger partnerships and collaborations. By sharing knowledge and developing practical solutions together, we aim to create real, lasting impact. Our goal is to connect with people beyond traditional, academic research settings and reach a wider audience.
We are excited about the future and confident in our direction. As we embark on this next phase of AcademyHealth to elevate the impact of health services research, we invite our members, partners, and long-term supporters to join us as we roll out this strategic plan.
Looking Ahead
We hope these strategic changes will have far-reaching impacts across the field. As we continue to position ourselves as a resource for our members, we hope to drive change by advancing trust, innovation, advocacy and partnerships, and more.
One of the best ways to support us is by becoming a member. If you’d like to support our work financially, we’d appreciate your donation. You can contribute here!