Today, HHS announced that Richard Kronick, Ph.D., will take over as the new director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Dr. Kronick will replace Dr. Carolyn Clancy later this month. Dr. Kronick is a respected researcher with a deep understanding of the critical role of evidence in supporting high quality health care and the intricacies of policymaking at the federal level. A long-time AcademyHealth member, Dr. Kronick was a 2005-2006 AcademyHealth/NCHS fellow, and served most recently on the AcademyHealth Methods Council, an esteemed group of researchers that assist AcademyHealth in developing strategies for professional development in health services research. "AHRQ is a vital agency for generating actionable evidence to address health care quality, safety and costs in a rapidly changing healthcare system," said AcademyHealth President and CEO Dr. Lisa Simpson. "We look forward to continuing to work with Dr. Kronick as he leads AHRQ in its work to improve the performance of the U.S. healthcare system."