Dr. Stephen M. Shortell, Blue Cross of California Distinguished Professor of Health Policy and Management and dean emeritus at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, has been selected as the recipient of the 2015 TRUST Award, which honors individuals who have exhibited visionary leadership in the health care field. The TRUST Award is presented annually by the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) of the American Hospital Association (AHA) to a health care leader who has made significant contributions to improving the U.S. health care delivery system.
[Photo: Dr. Stephen M. Shortell]
“Stephen, through his seminal research and vison, has been leading the field forward for decades,” said Dr. Michael Rock, chair of the HRET Board of Trustees. “He embodies the goal of the TRUST Award to improve health care.”
Dr. Shortell is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in health care research whose work has contributed to performance improvements at the organizational level in quality and outcomes of care and promoted more integrated care. His research examines the performance of integrated delivery systems; the organizational factors associated with quality and outcomes of care; the development of effective hospital-physician relationships; and the factors associated with the adoption of evidence-based processes for treating patients with chronic illness. Dr. Shortell served as dean of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health from 2002 to 2013. During this time, the School implemented many innovative programs, including a popular upper division undergraduate major in public health, the On-Campus/Online Master of Public Health Degree Program (the first online degree program to be offered at UC Berkeley), and the Center for Health Leadership.
“Stephen possesses a rare combination of skills as a leader, researcher and influencer,” said Maulik S. Joshi, HRET president and senior vice president of research at the AHA. “His influence in health care is great, and for that reason, we are honored to present him with this year’s TRUST Award.”
Dr. Shortell will receive the award at a reception on July 23 in San Francisco, during the Health Forum/American Hospital Association Leadership Summit.
Founded in 1944, HRET is the not-for-profit research and education affiliate of the AHA. HRET’s mission is to transform health care through research and education. It focuses on identifying and exploring key issues affecting the health care delivery system. The TRUST Award was established in 2003.