Under the leadership
of Professor Kathryn Whetten, the Center for Health Policy explores
the differences in health status and outcomes as well as the allocation
of health resources in order to inform policy decisions through:
- Interdisciplinary research by faculty and students in Health
Policy and health services research;
- Translation and dissemination
of research to local, state, and national health policy decision-makers; and
- Educational
opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in health
policymaking, research and analysis.
Fostering Interdisciplinary Research
Our collaboration centers around research proposals to government and private
funding agencies and interdisciplinary research after funding has been obtained.
We currently work with Duke colleagues from the Center for Demographic Studies,
the Duke Clinical Research Institute, the Department of Community and Family
Medicine, Duke Medical Center's Infectious Diseases Clinic, the Division
of Social and Community Psychiatry, and the Center for the Study of Aging
and Human Development. We also are actively submitting proposals with
researchers from other centers and departments. Recently, these partnerships
have focused
on such topics as the social and economic patterns of obesity, the treatment
of chronic diseases, and the use of preventive services. The contacts made
through these collaborations provide opportunities for further widening our
pool of potential collaborators. Currently, we are working with 31
partners from within Duke and 27 from other universities.
Translating and Disseminating Research
Findings to Policymakers
With funding from the Provost's Office, the Center launched the Child and Health
Policy Initiative with the Center for Child and Family Policy and the Department
of Psychology: Social and Health Sciences. The Initiative's goal is to bridge
the gap between social science research and policymaking, in hopes of grounding
more public policy in sound knowledge and expanding the scope of policy-relevant
research at Duke. Initiative staff conduct bibliographic searches for interdisciplinary
working groups, produce materials used to inform policy makers, practitioners,
and others about our projects, and forge networks of policymakers and researchers
in an effort to strengthen the impact of research at Duke. Dissemination
occurs through academic as well as policy publications. We publish papers
regularly
in the academic and research publications
in our fields as well as books on health-policy issues.
Providing Educational Opportunities for Undergraduates and Graduates
Our primary teaching effort is the Center-based Health Policy Certificate Program.
Each of our faculty members teaches two courses. We also supervise masters
students and undergraduate honors and independent study students with an
interest in health policy. Many assist with the Center's research projects.
Additionally we host PhD candidates. Our "Health Policy Cyberexchange" (www.hpolicy.duke.edu/cyberexchange)
and "Who's Who in Health Policy" sites(http://www.hpolicy.duke.edu/cyberexchange/whowho.html)
also contribute to our educational objectives. More than 50 health policy-related
courses are taught at the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy and in
other departments at Duke University.
For Information on the Health Inequalities Program [ click
here ]
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