Lisa Griffin Vincent: Understanding how things work

Lisa Griffin Vincent's background in nursing, kinesiology, and clinical research seemed to be leading her down a path toward epidemiology.

But as she became increasingly aware of the importance of understanding the health care system and its relationship to clinical trials and treatments, Vincent switched her focus and became a Ph.D. candidate in Health Services Research, Policy, and Administration.

"Thinking about the economics of treatment and care early on is crucial," says Vincent, who finished her dissertation in 2003. "And to do that, it's essential to understand how the health care system works, from access to care to insurance to the flow of referrals."

Vincent is now senior director of clinical research at Medtronic Neurological where she directs the company's clinical research from Phase II human trials through regulatory approval and into post-marketing studies on health outcomes and economics.

"[SPH] helped me on a methodological and theoretical level to think about how a treatment is used in the real world," says Vincent. "If you have the perfect treatment but it's never utilized, then you've lost your mission."

(Updated: June 2009)

Health Services Research, Policy, and Administration.