Faculty Spotlight: Christopher Louis.
Collaborative work is key to developing sustainable public health solutions and improving population health outcomes. This weekly series spotlights one SPH faculty member who advances public health through collaborations within the field and across sectors.
Can you talk about your research interests in healthcare organization and delivery, and cancer screening and treatment?
I am a cancer survivor. I still remember the conversation with my oncologist after my treatments were finished. She asked me to go do something special with the gift (a second chance at life) I had been given that so many people did not. I never forgot that conversation and while it took me a few years to figure out how I could add some value to cancer care, once I figured it out I haven’t looked back.
From a research perspective, I’m interested primarily in two things: vulnerable populations and healthcare organizations. So, what better way to help oncology care than by trying to understand what types of organizations provide the best cancer care? More specifically, under what circumstances (e.g., what are the best policies and practices of high-performing cancer care providers) do these organizations flourish the most?
That is why I am so proud of the work I am a part of that is funded by the American Cancer Society. We have a $1 million grant focused on breast cancer screening in Appalachia. Our study has 3 phases: (1) a survey of breast cancer screening centers in Appalachia that is focused on understanding their current operational and outreach practices and policies, (2) Medicare claims analysis that will identify screening rates in rural counties, (3) as a result of these two first parts of the study, we will then interview a set staff from several high and low performing screening centers to better understand qualitatively how and why they are different. This research excites me and I enjoy our weekly progress meetings as we are final starting to dig into the survey data that was recently collected.
我新濠影汇线上赌场研究的其他部分关注于评估，重点是了解新的、创新的项目是如何实施的，以及它们是否有效（或不有效！）我目前是一项1000万美元HRSA CoIIN拨款的首席评估人。我们正在关注10个州正在实施的项目，这些项目旨在改善对患有复杂疾病儿童的护理。看到每个州面临的挑战是如此不同，以及照顾这些病重儿童所需的复杂的新濠影汇赌场、州和组织基础设施是多么令人惊讶。此外，我还是ARWorks医疗补助豁免评估的首席新濠影汇线上赌场研究员。我们目前处于评估的开始阶段，所以现在没有什么可以分享的。然而，它符合弱势群体的主题，因为我们正在评估一个旨在在阿肯色州医疗补助计划中进行创新的项目。
合作新濠影汇线上赌场研究在你的工作中是如何不可或缺的，你能谈谈一两个对你最有意义的合作吗？
Collaborative partnerships are the cornerstone to performing meaningful research in public health. One of the most recent and important collaborative partnerships I’ve formed is with my healthcare management colleagues from 6 universities across the country. Shortly after we shifted from in-person to remote learning, I reached out to them and we quickly created two studies focusing on understanding the student and faculty perspectives on the transition. This professional collaboration has meaningfully impacted our ability to (1) broaden our perspective on the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare management faculty and students across the country, (2) helped us as program directors and faculty to quickly share best practices, and (3) to find better ways to connect with our students. The findings of these studies are helping us build a fact base that will inform our planning for teaching in the hybrid format this fall. At the end of the day, it’s also a lot of fun to work on meaningful projects with your friends from across the nation!
While I’ve recently (January 2020) taken on the role of director for all SPH Dual-Degree programs, I have been in this role with the MBA/MPH program for about two years now. I believe that the partnership that SPH and Questrom have developed is fantastic. I work closely with Ned Rimer (my counterpart at Questrom) and their advising guru Brad Czarnowski. We hold advising sessions together, recruitment events, and even squeeze in a lunch from time-to-time just to catch up. This collaboration has helped us remove program barriers when they arise and work collaboratively to restructure the program when that needs to be done too. Ned and I have developed an open line of communication and we both have the same top priority—students first. We make sure that no matter what the issue is on either side, we always ask, “What’s best for our students?” Dual-degree programs are complex because these students are spanning boundaries with their degrees, but we also have multiple, somewhat independently-functioning Schools to understand. But, by putting the needs of our students first, we seem to always come up with a solution that works.
“克里斯是全国知名的优秀医疗系统思想家，在大规模评估新濠影汇线上赌场研究方面拥有专业知识。但对我们hpm来说，他是医疗管理教育的创新者，他总是主动承担额外的工作，付出额外的努力。”
Michael Stein，卫生法律、政策与管理系主席兼教授