Dr. Gail Christopher Appointed Director of New Health Policy Institute;Institute Will Give Platform for Minority Health Issues 4/7/2004
From: Liselle Yorke of Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 202-789-6366 or lyorke@jointcenter.org WASHINGTON, April 7 -- Eddie N. Williams, president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, announced today the appointment of Dr. Gail C. Christopher as director of the institution's recently created Health Policy Institute. Christopher will set the agenda for the Institute's work on key health policy issues for African Americans and other communities of color -- populations that are disproportionately affected by policy shifts. The Institute is supported by a multi-year, $7 million grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. "We are pleased to have someone of Gail Christopher's caliber leading our health policy work," said Williams. "Her extensive experience in government performance and innovation will help us to chart a distinct course for the Health Policy Institute that focuses on greater public sector accountability for real change in health outcomes. Now that she is on board, we will be releasing several significant reports on health indicators and policy solutions for health disparities." Christopher comes to the Joint Center at a time when the U.S. Congress is increasingly focusing on health disparities. Earlier this year, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) introduced legislation to study the problem and fund improvements in care for minority and poor patients. Another bill was introduced in 2003 by House and Senate Democratic leadership to fund programs to reduce disparities, expand health coverage and strengthen institutions that serve minority communities, among other things. "Health is the public policy debate of this decade and its implications are extremely important to diverse populations," said Dr. Christopher. "The Joint Center's historic capacity for policy analysis, research and information dissemination to black Americans and other diverse groups will enable the Health Policy Institute to expand the effective participation of these groups and accelerate progress toward better health." A licensed holistic health practitioner and Naprapath (connective tissue specialist) with 25 years of experience in policy and practice, Christopher is nationally recognized for pioneering work linking the health outcomes of underserved populations to the effects of chronic stress related to environmental, economic and social factors. Before joining the Joint Center, she led the transformation of the Innovation in American Government Awards Program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government into an endowed institute, the Institute for Government Innovation. She also served as the director of the Alliance for Redesigning Government (a center of the National Academy of Public Administration), and most recently was a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution. Christopher recently completed a three-year term as a member of the National Board of Directors for the American Society for Training and Development. In 1996, she was inducted as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration in recognition of her exceptional career in public service. -- The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, conducts research and analyses on public policy issues of concern to African Americans and other minorities, promotes their involvement in the governance process, and operates programs that create coalitions within the minority, business, and other diverse communities. For information, visit: http://www.jointcenter.org -- EDITOR'S NOTE: JPEG image of Gail C. Christopher available. |