2.06.2007 - 06:04pm ET

(CSRwire) ARLINGTON, Va. and DEERFIELD, IL.- February 6, 2007 – In recognition of his lifelong achievements and contributions to the field of health services research, Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, has been selected as the 2007 recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research. The Prize, sponsored by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) and The Baxter International Foundation, will be awarded on June 2, 2007 at the AUPHA annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Dr. Berwick is president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), clinical professor of Pediatrics and Health Care Policy in the Department of Pediatrics at the Harvard Medical School, and professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is also a pediatrician, adjunct staff in the Department of Medicine at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, and a consultant in Pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“Dr. Berwick is one of the world's leading authorities on healthcare quality and improvement issues,” said Thomas Rundall, Ph.D., of the University of California, Berkeley, and selection committee chair. “More importantly, he is a catalyst for change. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement, founded by Dr. Berwick in 1991, has been a major incubator of innovative concepts for improving patient care and has implemented many programs for putting those ideas into action. Thousands of healthcare providers in the United States and many other countries participate in IHI's groundbreaking work, resulting in better care for millions of patients.”

Berwick says of his selection, “I feel deeply honored to receive the William B. Graham Prize. Working to improve healthcare has become my central professional passion, and the efforts of progressive leaders in healthcare management, equipped with new skills for addressing the evolving challenges of leading change, are essential to achieving that goal. AUPHA has been a forceful and generous partner in the effort to redesign healthcare, and The Baxter International Foundation has supported many worthy projects in the pursuit of safe and high quality care.”

Dr. Berwick has published more than 110 scientific articles in numerous professional journals on subjects relating to healthcare policy, decision analysis, technology assessment, and healthcare quality management. Dr. Berwick serves on the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, on the Governing Council of the Institute of Medicine, and as the liaison to the Institute of Medicine’s Board on Global Health. He is also a member of several editorial boards, including that of the Journal of the American Medical Association. A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Berwick holds a master of Public Policy degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and an MD cum laude from the Harvard Medical School. The father of four children (Ben, Dan, Jessica, and Rebecca), he is married to Ann (Greenberg) Berwick, an environmental attorney and former Chief of the Environmental Protection Division in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

About the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research

Since 1986, The Baxter International Foundation and the Association of University Programs in Health Administration have sponsored a Prize to recognize researchers who have made major contributions to the health of the public through innovative research in health services. Originally known as The Baxter International Foundation Prize for Health Services Research, the prize was renamed the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research in 2006 to honor the late William B. Graham, long-time chairman and CEO of Baxter International Inc. The Prize, the highest distinction that researchers in the health services field can achieve, has long been internationally regarded as the premier recognition for individuals practicing health services research.

The Prize acknowledges national or international contributions of health services researchers who apply analytic methods to examine and evaluate the organization, financing, and/or delivery of health services. The focus of the Prize is on the recognition of a person who has had a significant impact on the health of the public in one of three primary focus areas: Health Services Management, Health Policy Development and Health Care Delivery.

The Prize winner is selected annually from a distinguished list of nominees by an international selection committee made up of past Prize winners, distinguished academics, and internationally recognized researchers. The Prize includes a $50,000 award. The Prize recipient will be awarded $25,000, and the remaining $25,000 will be contributed to a not-for-profit institution that supports the Prize winner’s work.

About the Prize Sponsors

The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), helps organizations expand access to healthcare in the United States and around the world. The foundation, established in 1981, began to focus exclusively on increasing access to healthcare in 2002 – particularly for the disadvantaged and underserved – in communities where Baxter employees live and work. Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, assists healthcare professionals and their patients with the treatment of complex medical conditions, including hemophilia, immune disorders, cancer, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma and other conditions. The company applies its expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to make a meaningful difference in patients' lives. For more information, please visit www.baxter.com.

AUPHA is a global network of colleges, universities, faculty, individuals and organizations dedicated to the improvement of healthcare delivery through excellence in Health Administration Education. It fosters excellence and innovation in healthcare management education, research and practice by providing opportunities for member programs to learn from each other, by influencing practice, and by promoting the value of healthcare management education. AUPHA's membership includes the premier Baccalaureate and Masters degree programs in Health Administration Education in the United States and Canada. Its faculty and individual members represent more than 300 colleges, universities, and healthcare organizations. For more information, please visit www.aupha.org.

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