Colorado professor recognized for outstanding published work in public health system...( CHICAGO Ill. (June 30 2009)AcademyHe...),Health

CHICAGO, Ill. (June 30, 2009)AcademyHealth and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have recognized the research of Danielle Varda, Ph.D., as the best scientific work that the field of public health systems research (PHSR) has produced and published in 2008. Dr. Varda, an assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado, Denver, received the Article-of-the-Year Award for her article, "Core Dimensions of Connectivity in Public Health Collaboratives," published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

In addition to a $1,000 cash award, Dr. Varda receives complimentary registration and travel assistance to attend AcademyHealth's Annual Research Meeting and the PHSR Interest Group Annual Meeting, June 28-July 1, 2009 in Chicago.

The annual Article-of-the-Year Award is intended to recognize articles that present, analyze, and comment on new data or synthesize and analyze data that have already been collected in the field of PHSR. Dr. Varda's article was selected for its contribution to the understanding of public health systems; provision of new insights to the field of PHSR; and potential to advance the field and/or challenge current thinking.

PHSR is a field of inquiry examining the organization, financing, performance, and impact of health systemsdefined as the constellation of governmental and non-governmental actors that influence population health, including health care providers, insurers, purchasers, public health agencies, community-based organizations, and entities that operate outside the traditional sphere of health care.

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