GHRI founder earns Baxter-AUPHA recognition for Health Services Research

In recognition of his significant contributions to studying how best to provide health care, Edward H. Wagner, MD, MPH, has been named the 2011 recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research. The Prize is the highest distinction that health services researchers can achieve. The Baxter International Foundation funds the Prize, and the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) manages it. It will be awarded on June 25, 2011, at the AUPHA Annual Meeting in Charleston, SC.

Dr. Wagner founded Group Health Research Institute (GHRI) in 1983. It is a non-proprietary, public-domain research institution within the Group Health system. As director until 1998, with commitment to scientific inquiry, Dr. Wagner led GHRI's mission to improve health care through leading-edge research, innovation, and dissemination. In 1992, he established GHRI's MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation, which he still directs, where his team developed the Chronic Care Model, an evidence-based framework that seeks to improve the delivery of safe, effective, and collaborative care to patients. He is also the principal investigator for the Cancer Research Network, a National Cancer Institute-funded consortium of 14 health-plan-based research organizations in the HMO Research Network.

A professor of health services at the University of Washington School of Public Health, Dr. Wagner is best known for his work in chronic illness management, cancer care, and the aging and geriatric populations. Recognized as a champion of patient-centered care, Dr. Wagner has received numerous honors and awards and has written more than 250 publications.

"Dr. Wagner provides innovation and excellence in everything he does," said Kyle Grazier, DrPH, University of Michigan School of Public Health professor, and Graham Prize Selection Committee chair. "Through his Chronic Care Model, Dr. Wagner is still transforming the role of chronic illness care in health and health services delivery. His extraordinary leadership is evident in the research and policy centers he has created throughout the past 30 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 health care 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.