In recognition of his significant contributions to the field of health services research, (and his lifelong achievements, Edward H. Wagner, PHD will be awarded the 2011 recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research. The Prize, funded by the Baxter International Foundation and managed by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration will be awarded this June 25, 2011, at the AUPHA Annual Meeting in Charleston, South Carolina.
Dr. Wagner, a professor of health services at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Service, is best known for his work in chronic illness management, cancer care, and the aging and geriatric populations. He is the founding director of the Group Health Research Institute, the director of its MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation, and also serves as principal investigators for the Cancer Research Network (CRN), and National Cancer Institute-funded consortium of 14 health-plan-based research organizations.
Recognized as a champion of patient-centered care, Dr. Wagner has been honored as the recipient of many other honors and awards and has authored over 250 publications. “[His] papers have fundamentally re-shaped thinking about chronic illness care management,” said Douglas Conrad, PhD, Professor of Health Services, and Director of the Center for Health Management Research at the University of Washington. “Add to this outstanding lifetime achievement Dr. Wagner’s individual research and leadership through the Kaiser Community Health Program evaluation in the 1980s and early 1990s, and one sees a pattern in Ed Wagner’s careers: creative and innovative conception of research, assembly of an outstanding study team, and ultimately the production of a body of scholarly work that significantly impacts research, management, policy, and practice.”
The members of the Graham Prize Selection Committee spoke equally highly of Wagner. “Dr. Ed Wagner provides innovation and excellence in everything he does. Through his Chronic Care Model, Dr. Wagner is still transforming the role of chronicity in health and health services delivery,” said Kyle Grazier, DrPH, University of Michigan professor, and chair the Committee. “His extraordinary leadership is evident in the research and policy centers he has created over the past thirty years to study evidence-based management and clinical practice, to teach future clinicians and investigators, and to implement integrated health care across the life span. Dr. Wagner truly deserves this year’s prestigious William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research.”
Dr. Wagner received his MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of public Health, and his MD from the State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine.
"The prior recipients of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research include the most distinguished scientists in our field. I am honored and humbled to be included with them, and grateful to the many research and clinical colleagues who have contributed so much to our work,” said Dr. Wagner. “For American healthcare to provide excellent quality care at a sustainable cost, it must have a robust primary care sector able to successfully manage complex, chronically ill patients in the community. I have been blessed to work with dedicated, creative clinicians who are showing that it can be done."
Since 1986, The Baxter International Foundation and the Association of University Programs in Health Administration have awarded the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research to recognize researchers who have made major contributions to the health of the public through innovative research in health services. Originally known as The Baxter International Foundation Prize for Health Services Research, the prize was renamed the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research in 2006 to honor the late William B. Graham, long-time chairman and CEO of Baxter International Inc. The Prize has long been internationally regarded as the premier recognition for individuals conducting health services research.
The Prize acknowledges national or international contributions of health services researchers who apply analytic methods to examine and evaluate the organization, financing, and/or delivery of health services. The Prize recognizes individuals who have had a significant impact on the health of the public in one of three primary focus areas: Health Services Management, Health Policy Development, and Healthcare Delivery. The Prize winner is selected annually from a distinguished list of nominees by an international selection committee made up of past Prize winners, distinguished academics, and internationally recognized researchers. The Prize includes an award of $25,000 to the individual and $25,000 to a not-for-profit institution that supports the Prize winner’s work.
The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), helps organizations expand access to healthcare in the United States and around the world. The foundation, established in 1981, began to focus exclusively
on increasing access to healthcare in 2002 – particularly for the disadvantaged and underserved – in communities where Baxter employees live and work. Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide. For more information, please visit www.baxter.com.