Health Statistics Pioneer Dorothy P. Rice, Sc.D., Named 2013 Recipient of the William B. Graham Prize For Health Services Research

May 9, 2013 10:30 AM ET
Dorothy P. Rice, Sc.D.

ARLINGTON, Va., and DEERFIELD, Ill., May 9, 2013 /3BL Media/ - Dorothy P. Rice, Sc.D., has been named the 2013 recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research. The Prize, funded by The Baxter International Foundation and managed by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), will be awarded on June 20, 2013 during the AUPHA Annual Meeting in Monterey, Calif.

The Prize recognizes the contributions of health services researchers who apply analytic methods to examine and evaluate the organization, financing, and/or delivery of health services realizing that by improving the delivery of health services, the health of citizens is also improved. An independent committee of past winners, distinguished academics, and internationally recognized researchers selects the recipient each year.

Widely regarded for her innovative and pioneering work in the field of health statistics, Dr. Rice has held a number of leadership positions during the course of her distinguished career. In addition to serving as deputy assistant commissioner for Research with the Social Security Administration, Dr. Rice was the director of the National Center for Health Statistics for more than six years, from 1976 to 1982. During this time, Dr. Rice is credited with leadership development and management of an indispensable nationwide healthcare information system, which remains the industry standard today.

"Every member of the Graham Prize Selection Committee was very aware of the significant international and national contributions that Dr. Rice sustained throughout her career," said Kyle Grazier, DrPH, University of Michigan professor and Graham Prize Selection Committee chair. "As a leader in the Social Security Administration and then at the National Center for Health Statistics, and since, she elevated the importance and use of high quality medical and financial data to inform decisions in policy making and management. She developed the cost-of-illness methodology that has been used to understand numerous illnesses and their impact on society. She is a wise and dedicated mentor to many. We all are grateful that the Graham Prize exists to honor someone of the stature of Dorothy Rice."

Dr. Rice is professor emerita in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, with joint appointments at the Institute for Health & Aging and Institute for Health Policy Studies.

"It is a special honor and privilege that has been bestowed on me by The Baxter International Foundation in recognition of my life-long research, for which I am most grateful." said Dr. Rice. "I follow a long list of distinguished researchers whom I have admired and who have been my heroes for many years. I sincerely hope that my own research has had as significant an impact on the organization, delivery, and financing of health services as that of my predecessors."

Renowned for her prolific body of research, Dr. Rice has authored more than 200 published monographs, books, articles, and book chapters on the economics of medical care, aging, chronic illness, disability, health statistics, and domestic violence. She has also written about various cost-of illness studies, including costs associated with the health effects of smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, mental illness, Alzheimer’s disease, and AIDS.

Dr. Rice has received numerous honors for her many contributions including election to the Institute of Medicine, the Association for Health Services Presidential Award for Leadership and Contributions to Health Services Research, and the American Public Health Association Sedgwick Memorial Medal.

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 awarded the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research to recognize researchers who have made major contributions to the health of the public through innovative research in health services. The Prize honors the late William B. Graham, longtime chairman and CEO of Baxter International Inc., and is internationally regarded as the premier recognition for individuals conducting health services research. The Prize recognizes individuals who have had a significant impact on the health of the public in one of three primary focus areas: Health

Services Management, Health Policy Development, and Healthcare Delivery. The Prize includes an award of $25,000 to the individual and $25,000 to a non-profit institution that supports the winner’s work. Past recipients have included Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP and Uwe Reinhardt, PhD.

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, focuses exclusively on increasing access to healthcare, particularly for the disadvantaged and underserved in communities where Baxter employees live and work. Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide. 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 healthcare management and policy education. Its mission is to foster excellence and drive innovation in health management and policy education, and promote the value of university-based management education for leadership roles in the health sector. It is the only non-profit entity of its kind that works to improve the delivery of health services – and thus the health of citizens – throughout the world by educating professionals managers at the entry level. AUPHA’s membership includes the premier baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral programs in health administration education in the United States, Canada, and around the world. Its faculty and individual members represent more than 400 colleges and universities. For more information, please visit www.aupha.org.

# # #