Health Policy & Management research influences policy and improves health outcomes across the globe.

The Impact of Health Policy & Management Research

Equal Quality of Life

Associate Professor Tetyana Shippee is driven by one question: How can we make care toward the end of life a more positive experience, regardless of race, ethnicity, or culture? Her recent research found that compared to white residents in nursing homes, Black, Indigenous, and residents of color have a significantly lower quality of life, no matter the racial/ethnic composition of the facility. “We need to better understand factors that impact experience of care for these groups and make sure that they have a voice in their care,” says Shippee.

Black Newborns and Black Doctors

In the U.S., Black newborns die at three times the rate of white newborns. But research from Associate Professor and Blue Cross Endowed Professor of Racial and Health Equity Rachel Hardeman shows that the in-hospital death rate for Black newborns is a third lower when they’re cared for by Black physicians.

Where Premature Death Rates are Highest

In rural America, 1 in 5 residents is a person of color or a member of an Indigenous group. A study from Associate Professor Carrie Henning-Smith found that rural counties with a majority of non-Hispanic Black and majority American Indian/Alaska Native residents had up to double the rates of premature death compared with rural counties with a majority non-Hispanic white residents. “Rural areas can be very diverse and when we discuss rural-urban disparities in health, we’re missing part of the picture: there are significant racial differences in who has equitable access to good health in rural counties,” says Henning-Smith.

Research Collaborations and Partnerships

• Minnesota Learning Health System Mentored Career Development Program (MN-LHS)
• Program in Health Disparities Research: Child Obesity Prevention

About Health Services Research

Health services research is a multidisciplinary field that looks at how social, financial, and organizational entities affect access to and quality of health care.

• Visit the National Library of Medicine portal for Health Services Research & Public Health Information programs.
• Visit the NLM’s HSR Information Central for links to the many different types of health services research