"Health Affairs" Founding Editor John K. Iglehart, Named 2016 Recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research

ARLINGTON, Va., and DEERFIELD, Ill., May 18, 2016 /3BL Media/ – John K. Iglehart has been named the 2016 recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research. The Prize, awarded by The Baxter International Foundation and the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), will be presented on Thursday, June 23, 2016, during the AUPHA Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Prize, which has been awarded since 1986, recognizes the contributions of health services researchers 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 contributions of Mr. Iglehart reflect all three of these areas. An independent committee of past winners, distinguished academics, and internationally recognized researchers selects the recipient each year.

"John Iglehart has made lifetime contributions to, and has had long-lasting national and international impact on, the fields of health services management, policy, practice, and research,” said Douglas A. Conrad, Professor of Health Services at the University of Washington Seattle and Graham Prize selection committee chair. “Through John's role as founding editor of Health Affairs, national correspondent for The New England Journal of Medicine, elected member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, and the Institute of Medicine, he has shaped the discussion of public policy in healthcare and influenced a generation of scholars in health services research."

As a national correspondent for The New England Journal of Medicine, where he worked from 1981-1997 and from 1999 to the present, he has written 150 Health Policy Reports and Perspectives, for the Journal. In addition, Mr. Iglehart is the founding editor of Health Affairs, the leading journal of health policy thought and research. Mr. Iglehart started Health Affairs in 1981 under the aegis of Project HOPE, a not-for-profit international health education organization.

Prior to 1981, Mr. Iglehart served for two years as a vice president of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and director of its Washington, DC, office.  From 1969 to 1979, he held a variety of editorial positions, including the editorship of National Journal, a privately published weekly on federal policymaking. Mr. Iglehart holds a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and has been a journalist-in-residence at Harvard University.

“Acknowledging the previous awardees of the William B. Graham Prize – all national and international scholars of stature – I am truly humbled as the first journalist named as recipient of this honor,” said Mr. Iglehart. “In turn, and importantly, it recognizes Health Affairs – the health policy journal that I founded 35 years ago. It has been very satisfying to see the journal well-established as a serious peer-reviewed publication recognized by academic researchers who seek to spread their work to policymakers, healthcare managers, providers, and many others who are invested in improving America’s healthcare enterprise. This award represents a capstone to my career and I thank the Baxter International Foundation and the Association of University Programs in Health Administration for recognizing these efforts.”        

Along with an extensive and successful career in journalism, Mr. Iglehart is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, where he served on its governing council for six years, and the National Academy of Social Insurance. Mr. Iglehart also has served on the board of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates and the Advisory Board of the National Institute for Health Care Management.

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 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 Stuart Altman, PhD, Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, Uwe Reinhardt, PhD and Dorothy P. Rice, Sc.D.

About the Prize Sponsors

Baxter and the Baxter International Foundation are committed to saving and sustaining lives and creating healthier communities. Every day, Baxter employees strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people who depend on Baxter products, and in the communities where employees live and work. The company focuses on three core areas including improving access to healthcare; fostering tomorrow’s innovation and serving its communities. Baxter works closely with public and private partners around the world to ensure people have access to the healthcare they need, to develop the next generation of innovators who will lead the way in advancing care, and to create long-lasting impact in Baxter’s communities. The Baxter International Foundation supports initiatives and organizations that make a positive, lasting impact on increasing access to healthcare for the disadvantaged and underserved.

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 innovation in health management and policy education, and scholarship. 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 professional 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.