IFH Newsletter

QUARTERLY NEWS FROM RUTGERS INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH, HEALTH CARE POLICY AND AGING RESEARCH
Q1 2020

A MESSAGE TO FACULTY AND STAFF

We present this digital edition of our quarterly newsletter in the spirit of keeping you informed about the work our Institute
is doing, and will continue to do. We will remain connected with you as we navigate the complex challenges of the COVID-19
pandemic together. Please stay safe, and I wish you and your loved ones good health. -XinQi Dong, MD, MPH, IFH Director

REGIONAL HEALTH HUBS

HEAD IN NEW DIRECTION

The Center for State Health Policy

has had a unique opportunity to work with
the next generation of programs launched
last month to advance population health
initiatives across New Jersey.
The state’s new Regional Health
Hubs evolved from New Jersey’s
Medicaid Accountable Care Organization
demonstration project. CSHP was
previously tasked with evaluating the
project and the findings helped to inform
and shape the development of the new
Hubs strategy.
Today, the Trenton Health Team,
Shutterstock
Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers,
Greater Newark Healthcare Coalition, and social determinants of health and health Gregory Paulson. “This designation
the Health Coalition of Passaic County services goals.” demonstrates the value of Trenton Health
are building partnerships across New “Regional partnerships are making Team’s work in our community and
Jersey with state government, community a real difference in the lives of low- showcases New Jersey as a national
organizations, health systems and other income residents and reducing healthcare model of communities coming together to
stakeholders to improve and align care fragmentation,” said THT Executive Director tackle our shared health challenges.”
and outcomes, while reducing cost.
Addressing the relationship between
the coalitions’ experiences with the
demonstration project and their new AN EMPHASIS ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
role as Hubs, Michael Yedidia, who
collaborated on the CSHP evaluation, In community-based participatory address? Did you learn something? What
commented: “Through the demonstration research, individuals need to trust that their did you enjoy the most? How can we work
project the ACOs developed their capacity experience will benefit their community. better together?
for using comprehensive claims data on While trust is established beyond words, Everyone can help empower
Medicaid recipients and linking them with the initial conversation is important in individuals, families and communities,
other clinical and services data. In the engagement. and developing a dialogue that allows us
evaluation, we learned how they applied A good practice is to seek “engageable to genuinely learn from one another can
this expertise in developing community- moments” in our daily lives, even during make a world of a difference.
based interventions and rallying needed these challenging times. Ask each other -Tamara Horn, Director of
partners in mounting initiatives to address questions like, What would you like to Community Outreach

IN THIS ISSUE
• NEW GRANTS PAGE 2 • RECENT EVENTS PAGE 4
• FACULTY NEWS PAGE 2 • TOWN HALL RECAP PAGE 4
• NEW FACES PAGE 3
@RutgersIFH
Projects, Awards & Faculty News
HUDSON SELECTED FOR MARSH NAMED INTERIM CHANCELLOR OF CAMDEN
NATIONAL APPOINTMENT CAMPUS
Shawna Hudson, PhD, core faculty Core faculty member In her first stint as
member and founding director of the Margaret Marsh, PhD, will interim chancellor, Dr.
C e n t e r serve as Interim Chancellor Marsh advanced the
Advancing of Rutgers University– establishment of an
Research Camden, beginning July MFA in creative writing,
a n d 1. Dr. Marsh, a University and oversaw the
Evaluation Professor of History, transformation of the School
for Patient- previously served with of Business–Camden into
Centered distinction as interim a four-year school, among
C a r e , chancellor between 2007 other accomplishments.
has been and 2009, and enjoyed a Dr. Marsh is a leading
selected to highly successful tenure Margaret Marsh, PhD expert in the history of
serve as a as dean of the Rutgers– infertility and reproductive
Shawna Hudson, PhD member of Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences medicine, and coauthor of three books
the National that began in 1998 and ended in 2011. on the subjects.
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and
Medicine’s Committee on Implementing
High-Quality Primary Care. Over the next RECENT GRANT AWARDS
18 months, the committee will develop
an implementation plan to build upon
MENGTING LI, SON, “FAMILY TYPOLOGY, ACCULTURATION AND COGNITIVE
recommendations from a 1996 Institute
of Medicine report to strengthen primary FUNCTION IN OLDER IMMIGRANTS,” ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION.
care services in the United States,
MARGARET KOLLER, CSHP, “SUPPORT FOR THE NJ MEDICAID BUSINESS
especially for underserved populations,
and to inform primary care systems INTELLIGENCE UNIT 2020,” NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES,
around the world. DIVISION OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE AND HEALTH SERVICES.

BENJAMIN BATES, PETS, “AIR POLLUTION AND RISK FOR CANCER PROGRESSION,”
GERHARD RECEIVES 2020 NEW JERSEY COMMISSION ON CANCER RESEARCH AWARD FOR POSTDOC
STERNFELS PRIZE CANCER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP.

SOKO SETOGUCHI IWATA, PETS, “AN INTEGRATED CLINICAL RESEARCH DATABASE

Tobias Gerhard, PhD, core faculty
FOR CF PATIENTS AND FAMILIES,” CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION.
member and director of the Center for
Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment STEPHEN CRYSTAL, CHSR, OUTCOMES OF INNOVATIVE MEDICAID INITIATIVES,”
Science, FOUNDATION FOR OPIOID RESPONSE EFFORTS.
has been
awarded ASHLEY GROSSO, IFH, “INCENTIVIZING ADHERENCE TO SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER
the 2020 TREATMENT,” NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE/TRANSCENDENT ENDEAVORS.
Sternfels
Prize for SUJOY CHAKRAVARTY, CSHP, “ANALYSIS OF INPATIENT STABILIZATION SERVICES
Drug Safety FOR PERSONS WITH CO-OCCURRING INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL
Discoveries DISABILITIES AND MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS,” NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF
for his
HUMAN SERVICES.
proposal,
“ N o v e l JOEL CANTOR, CSHP, “HEALTH CARE HOTSPOTTING,” MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE
Approach Tobias Gerhard, PhD OF TECHNOLOGY.
to Examine
Within-Class Therapeutic JOEL CANTOR, MARGARET KOLLER, CSHP, “RUTGERS CENTER FOR STATE HEALTH
Exchangeability of Medications.” Dr. POLICY INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT,” ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION.
Gerhard is the fourth winner of the
annual $35,000 prize, which was created THOMAS MACKIE, SPH, “COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF PERINATAL PSYCHIATRY
to incentivize scientists of all types to ACCESS PROGRAMS,” PATIENT CENTERED OUTCOMES RESEARCH INSTITUTE.
think about ways to minimize the risks
of side effects patients face when taking DANIEL HORTON, PETS, “DISEASE RECAPTURE AFTER DRUG DISCONTINUATION
prescription drugs. AND FLARE IN JIA,” SEATTLE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH INSTITUTE.

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 New Faces at IFH

Zeeshan Ahmed Tammy Chung Tamara Horn Khuzeman Abbasi

Core Faculty, IFH Core Faculty, IFH Director of Community Research Assistant
Assistant Professor, Professor, Department of Outreach, IFH IFH
Department of Medicine Psychiatry

Fatima Abdi Grace Cerdan Jacob Koppel Egierd Swati Kumar

Research Assistant Research Assistant Research Assistant Research Assistant
IFH IFH IFH IFH

Nidhi Kumrawat Mohammed Rahawi Mohammad Wiswall Mailun Zhang

Research Assistant Research Assistant Research Assistant Research Assistant
IFH IFH PETS IFH

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Events & Community
Right: Attendees IFH TOWN HALL:
discuss research at
an IFH Community PROGRESS UPDATE
Advisory Health
Forum at Fountain Institute for Health Director Dr. XinQi
Baptist Church in Dong, MD, MPH, presented an update on
Summit. Below: the progress we’ve made in the last fiscal
Guest speakers year during the quarterly Town Hall meeting
Dennis Culhane, with faculty and staff on Feb. 27.
PhD, of the University Among other highlights, Dr. Dong noted
of Pennsylvania, and that total publications by faculty across IFH
Shaina Ward, MSW, and its centers increased by 20%, and first
of the International author publications increased by 39%. Media
Rescue Committee’s coverage increased as well, with nearly double
NJ Office of
the number of citations involving IFH faculty.
Refugees.
Policy impacts also were felt across the state
with multiple briefings and presentations
to New Jersey state government offices,
including the Department of Health and
Department of Human Services.
Dr. Dong reviewed IFH metrics and the
new fiscal year budget, as well as the status
of projects like the New Jersey Population
Health Cohort Study and Survey/Data Core.

Above: Stakeholders meet to discuss the New Jersey Population Health Cohort Study.

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