News

Cleary Awarded Grant to Advance the Field of Public Health Services and Systems Research

Paul D. Cleary, Ph.D., Dean of the Yale School of Public Health, Chair and C-E.A. Winslow Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, has been awarded a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to develop Public Health Services and Systems Research.

Paul D. Cleary, Ph.D., Dean of the Yale School of Public Health, Chair and C-E.A. Winslow Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, has been awarded nearly $400,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to develop Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR) by convening the nation’s leading public health experts and stakeholders to develop a research agenda that will lead to meaningful change in the public health system.

This burgeoning field of research focuses on the organization, staffing, financing, and management of systems that are the backbone of public health services.  It can provide critical information to guide policy development on how to efficiently allocate infrastructure resources, and overall, how to better protect the public's health.

“This project will bring a number of the best thinkers in the areas of health care and private sector services and systems together with leaders in public health,” stated Cleary.  “We hope that sharing ideas and approaches to research and implementation will help facilitate improvements in both the effectiveness and efficiency of systems that promote and protect health across different populations.”

“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is pleased to be partnering with Dr. Cleary to further develop the field of Public Health Services and Systems Research,” said James S. Marks, M.D., M.P.H, RWJF senior vice president and director, health group. “This research field is imperative in building the evidence to help public health agencies improve the quality and efficiency of their performance, be accountable to the communities they serve, and ultimately help all Americans live healthier lives.”

A number of activities are planned to allow colleagues at RWJF and the Yale School of Public Health to advance the field of PHSSR and increase its visibility and impact on public health: an expert panel including government officials, academicians, researchers and practitioners will develop an agenda for future research; presentations are planned at national meetings to foster relationships with policymakers and practitioners and to identify the resources that are needed to expand PHSSR activities; and grantees and junior investigators will meet at RWJF during the fall of 2008 to discuss progress made in the field and identify key opportunities for collaboration and dissemination.

“We look forward to engaging practitioners, policymakers and our peers in related research fields in this important dialog,” said Cleary.“Through our efforts tostrengthen Public Health Services and Systems Research we hope to create a shared vision for how we can improve the quality and performance of public health systems.”