Recipients Selected for AcademyHealth's New Investigator Small Grant Program

Recipients Selected for AcademyHealth's New Investigator Small Grant Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. (1/11/2016) – AcademyHealth announced today the six individuals selected for the 2016 cohort of the New Investigator Small Grant Program in partnership with the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) and the March of Dimes.

The AcademyHealth New Investigator Small Grant Program is designed to support the early careers of new health services researchers. This grant program funds innovative, timely, and relevant research and translation activities that advance AcademyHealth's vision of improving health and the performance of the healthcare system by generating evidence and moving evidence into policy and practice.

The 2016 New Investigators were selected through a competitive process that included evaluation by three individual review committees comprised of AcademyHealth staff, staff at partner organizations, and health services research and policy experts.

"I am pleased to announce the 2016 cohort of New Investigators. This program provides early investigators a valuable professional development opportunity to immerse themselves in innovative, timely, and relevant research and translation activities within the field of health services research,” said AcademyHealth President and CEO Lisa Simpson. “I am confident that this year’s cohort will contribute to the ever-growing field of health care and research and work hard to advance AcademyHealth's vision of improving health and the performance of the healthcare system by generating evidence and moving evidence into policy and practice," she added.

AcademyHealth thanks ACAP and the March of Dimes for their support of new health services researchers.

Award winners and their research topic and title include:

• Hilary Barnes, Ph.D., C.R.N.P.
  University of Pennsylvania
  Research Topic: General Health Services Research (funded by AcademyHealth)
  Research Title: The Longitudinal Effect of Scope of Practice Regulations on Nurse Practitioners Supply, Medicaid Acceptance, and Access to Care within Physician Practices
  
• Joseph Benitez, Ph.D.
  University of Louisville
  Research Topic: General Health Services Research (funded by AcademyHealth’s President Fund)
  Research Title: What are the Effects of Medicaid Non-Expansion on Disproportionate Share Hospital Care?
  
  
• Christine Gunn, Ph.D., M.A.
  Boston University
  Research Topic: General Health Services Research (funded by AcademyHealth)
  Research Title: Perceptions of Breast Density Notifications Among a Low-Literacy Population: An Opportunity for Patient-Centered Communication
  
  
• Andrew Roberts, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
  Creighton University
  Research Topic: Medicaid (funded by Association for Community Affiliated Plans)
  Research Title: Dissecting Medicaid Lock-in Program Circumvention: Lessons for Drug Abuse Policy
  
• Sherri Rose, Ph.D.
  Harvard Medical School
  Research Topic: General Health Services Research (funded by AcademyHealth)
  Research Title: Improving Medicare Advantage Plan Payment Risk Adjustment with Machine Learning
  
  
• Yhenneko Taylor, Ph.D., M. Stat.
  Carolinas HealthCare System
  Research Topic: Maternal and Child Health (funded by March of Dimes)
  Research Title: Insurance Status and Healthcare Experiences of Urban Pregnant Women

Applications for the third cohort will open in June 2016. For more information, visit the New Investigator Small Grant Program webpage.

About AcademyHealth

AcademyHealth is a leading national organization serving the fields of health services and policy research and the professionals who produce and use this important work. Together with our members, we offer programs and services that support the development and use of rigorous, relevant and timely evidence to increase the quality, accessibility, and value of health care, to reduce disparities, and to improve health. A trusted broker of information, AcademyHealth brings stakeholders together to address the current and future needs of an evolving health system, inform health policy, and translate evidence into action.