NEWS RELEASE
Michigan researchers receive junior investigator awards designed to inform public health services
March 1, 2013
ANN ARBOR - Two University of Michigan School of Public Health researchers have received Junior Investigator Awards from the national Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR). Angela Beck and Simone Singh are among nine promising young investigators recently awarded grants to conduct research that will provide public health practitioners with valuable information. The evidence will, in particular, help guide financial and workforce decisions critical to the future of the public health system in the wake of the Affordable Care Act.
Beck, who is a research assistant professor, will investigate how size and composition of Michigan's state and local public health workforce varies over time, and how it compares to workforce composition in states with similar characteristics. Singh, who is an assistant professor, will investigate characteristics of public health delivery systems that influence the productivity and efficiency with which public health strategies are delivered at the local level.
Made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the awards to doctoral candidates and junior faculty give young investigators an opportunity to work closely with prominent PHSSR experts as they launch their careers. The studies are expected to be completed by spring 2014.
The goal of the National Coordinating Center is to grow the field of PHSSR by coordinating current PHSSR investments, supporting real-world applications, and strengthening the capacity of researchers and practitioners. The Center also works to determine the future direction of the field's research initiatives, translate that research into practice, increase the visibility of the work, and attract other funders to the field. Over the past five years, the National Coordinating Center has awarded more than 30 grants to junior PHSSR investigators.
The University of Michigan School of Public Health has been promoting health and preventing disease since 1941, and is ranked among the top public health schools in the nation. Whether making new discoveries in the lab or researching and educating in the field, our faculty, students, and alumni are deployed around the globe to promote and protect our health.
Contact: Terri Mellow, Senior Media Strategist
Phone: (734) 764-8094
E-mail: twm@umich.edu
