William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research Awarded to Economist Stuart H. Altman, PhD

Subsidised by The Baxter International Foundation and managed by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), this prestigious award recognises outstanding contributions from within the community of health service researchers. Its aim is to highlight those who employ analytic methods to examine and evaluate the financing, organisation and/or delivery of health services, and who realise that enhancing health service delivery also positively impacts the health of citizens.

The annual selection of award recipients is done by an independent committee, which included distinguished academics, internationally recognised researchers and past winners.

Dr. Stuart Altman, Dean of The Heller School for Social Policy & Management and Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy at Brandeis University, is a preeminent economist who focuses his research interests primarily on state and federal health policy. Holder of an MA and PhD degree in Economics from the University of California Los Angeles, Altman was part of Brown University and the Graduate School of Public Policy at University of California at Berkeley’s faculties.

After four decades of work focused on healthcare costs, 2012 saw Dr. Altman selected to chair the Health Policy Commission, Massachusetts’ new state board charged with setting healthcare spending goals and tracking providers’ progress toward reducing costs. According to Lynn Nicholas, chief executive of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, Altman was someone with an in-depth knowledge of the local healthcare market, capable of “big picture thinking”.

Kyle Grazier, Richard C. Jelinek Professor of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan and chair of the Graham Prize Selection Committee said that Dr. Altman continued to study, contribute to, and lead national and state health policy. Having recently been appointed chair of the Board of the Health Policy Commission by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick was just one example of this merit, as Dr. Altman was consistently bringing his on-the-ground experience, economist viewpoint and strategic vision to push the country to improve healthcare in every way. Grazier added that Dr. Altman was performing with unending energy and the zeal that had become characteristic of his every contribution over the years. Concluding, Grazier said the committee was grateful the Graham Prize existed to pay tribute to someone of the stature of Stuart Altman.

In his statement Dr. Altman expressed his gratitude to The Baxter International Foundation for funding this prize. He said he was extremely honoured to receive the 2014 William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research as he had dedicated the past 45 years to health services research and policy analysis. He went on to say that as someone who had taught countless students interested in a career in health services research, health administration or health policy, is was particularly gratifying that the Association of University Programs in Health Administration awarded the prize.

Currently a member of the Board of Directors of Aveta and of EmblemHealth, Inc., Dr. Altman is the recipient of numerous awards and honors throughout his career and has been designated as one of Modern Health Care’s 100 Most Powerful People in Health Care for nine successive years, from 2003-2011. 

Further to having been appointed to serve on nearly 30 boards, including The National Coalition for Health Care Reform, The Social Policy Research Group, and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, the award recipient is also a prolific author. 

Dr. Altman has published more than 50 papers and articles, written more than 30 books and testified more than 35 times before the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives over the past 37 years.

15 May 2014