Division of Health Services Policy and Practice

Despite groundbreaking biomedical and technologic discoveries taking place in the US, the national health care system trails behind most developed countries in clinical outcomes and population health, while consuming an astonishing 17% of the gross domestic product. [Source: National Healthcare Expenditure Projections, 2010-2020. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary.] Similarly, aging populations and increased longevity, coupled with chronic health problems, have become a global challenge, putting new demands on medical and social services around the globe.

The demand to control costs while improving population health though meaningful and efficient patient-provider interactions is known as the Triple Aim. The Triple Aim was first introduced by then Director of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), Dr. Donald Berwick, in 2008 (http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/27/3/759.full).

In concert with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and ongoing health care market reforms, focus on the Triple Aim has stimulated policy makers, academic institutions, think tanks, health insurance plans, healthcare providers, government and not-for-profit agencies to seek professionals who can evaluate patient outcomes and performance of healthcare system, identify cost outliers and financial inefficiencies, develop cost-effectiveness approaches for providing high quality patient care and implement change in care delivery and population health.

In response to this demand, we have developed a multidisciplinary program that combines innovative research with didactic training in core public health concepts, policy formulation, community health assessment, program intervention design, behavioral economics and financial incentives, implementation and dissemination research, program management and evaluation, and other core health services competencies.

Multidisciplinary Collaboration

Housed within the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, the division draws from the School of Public Health and Health Professions’ faculty research and academic expertise across UB in the fields of health and behavioral economics, decision analysis, epidemiology, environmental health, biostatistics, community health and health behavior, and health services research and administration to support research and professional development necessary to reach the Triple Aim.

Affiliated Faculty in the Community

Brian Clemency, Do, MBA, FACEP, FAEMS, Professor/Vice-Chair of Academic & Faculty Affairs, Department of Emergency Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Christina Crabtree-Ide, PhD, Director, Cancer Screening & Survivorship Outreach, Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Csaba Gajdos MD, FACS, FSSO, Clinical Professor of Surgery, Division Chief, Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Sharon Hewner, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Dean for the Research Doctoral Program (PhD); Associate Professor, School of Nursing
David Jacobs, PharmD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Division of Outcomes and Practice Advancement, Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy
Linda S. Kahn PhD, Research Professor, Primary Care Research Institute, Department of Family Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Liise K. Kayler MD, MS, FACS, Program Director Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, Chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Joshua L. Malecki, EdD, MHA, health system specialist, Veterans Health Administration (VA Hospital)
Joanne Song McLaughlin, PhD, Director of Masters Program, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, College of Arts and Sciences
Sonja Pavlesen, MD, MS, Clinical Epidemiologist, Clinical Research Scientist, UB MD Orthopaedics
M. Kim Saxton, PhD, MBA, Clinical Professor of Marketing, Faculty Director, Behavioral Research Lab, School of Management
Amy L. Shaver, PhD, PharmD, MPH, Postdoctoral Fellow/Research, Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University
Ranjit Singh, MB BChir, MBA, Associate Professor; Vice Chair for Research, Director, Primary Care Research Institute, Department of Family Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Darryl Somayaji, PhD, RN, CNS, CCRC, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Oncology, Cancer Screening & Survivorship at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Laurene M. Tumiel Berhalter PhD, Director of Community Translational Research, Department of Family Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Rebekah Walker, PhD, Associate Professor, Chief of Division of Population Health, Department of Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Nomi S. Weiss-Laxer, PhD, MPH, MA, Clinical Research Scientist, UB MD Orthopaedics
Deirdre Wheat, MD, MPH, MMedSci, PCME, Medical Specialist, Buffalo Psychiatric Center