Investigator Awards In Health Policy Research Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research
55 Commercial Ave.
Third Floor
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1340		 Tel: (732) 932-3817
Fax: (732) 932-3819
Email: depdir@ifh.rutgers.edu
www.investigatorawards.org
www.rwjf.org
The Awards Program » Program Description
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research provide funding to highly qualified individuals undertaking broad studies of the most challenging health, health care and health policy issues facing America. Grants of up to $335,000 are awarded to investigators from a wide range of disciplines. Successful proposals reflect thinking that is creative and conceptual and crosses disciplinary boundaries in search of knowledge and innovative solutions to critical health problems and policy issues.
»Background
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) created the Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research in 1992 to enhance society’s understanding of significant problems and policy issues related to the health and health care of Americans and to provide information that can help improve the formulation of sound policies. The program is now part of RWJF’s Human Capital Portfolio, reflecting the Foundation’s longstanding investments that seek to build and maintain a strong and diverse leadership and workforce in health and health care, as well as to help develop specific fields.

The program works by providing grants of up to $335,000 to highly qualified individuals to develop, interpret, or substantially advance ideas or knowledge that can improve health policy in the United States. The program challenges investigators from a variety of disciplines to tackle critical health problems and policy issues, to think creatively and across disciplinary boundaries, and to seek innovative solutions. Since 1992, RWJF has funded 124 projects involving 156 investigators from the nation’s leading private and state universities, and other nonprofit organizations.

Research supported by the program has explored a range of topics including health risk and disease prevention, the determinants of health and disparities among population groups, public health policy, health care reform, the patient-provider relationship, the nursing workforce, medical technology, patient safety and quality of care, the policy-making process, and public and private financing programs, among others.

»National Program Office
The Investigator Awards program is led by David Mechanic, Ph.D., and headquartered at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Lynn Rogut serves as the deputy director. Cynthia Church serves as the program administrator.

»Go to NPO details

»National Advisory Committee
A National Advisory Committee of experts from such fields as medicine, public health, economics, political science, sociology, nursing, law, journalism, and the behavioral sciences assists in reviewing applications and makes funding recommendations to RWJF.

»Go to NAC details

»Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, we work with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.

For 35 years we’ve brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those we serve. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, we expect to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

»Go to RWJF details