The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI) will receive funding to improve population health in Vermont and New Hampshire as one of a network of national centers designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Dartmouth Population Health Research Center will bring together a broad coalition of partners to focus on reducing cardiovascular disease―the leading cause of death in the two states. Initial efforts will center on the communities of Manchester and Keene, NH, and St. Johnsbury, VT.
The primary clinical partner will be Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), whose mission and vision is to achieve the healthiest population possible in its bi-state service region.
First efforts under the grant will focus on pilot projects in Manchester and Keene. The Manchester InShape program, which will be led by Dr. Stephen Bartels, is aimed at cardiovascular disease prevention among the most vulnerable populations. The Keene work will seek to establish methods of collection of health risk information and health status measures. Further pilot projects for St. Johnsbury and other areas of Vermont and New Hampshire are in development.
"This award and the research projects it will facilitate will provide a major boost to ongoing efforts in both states to improve the health of citizens and reduce the incidence of disease," said Dr. James N. Weinstein, TDI’s director.
Dr. Elliott S. Fisher will lead the Center. Fisher is the Director of Population Health and Policy for TDI and Primary Investigator for the Dartmouth Atlas Project. An expert on the performance of health care systems and their impact on health, he is leading efforts regionally and nationally to strengthen primary care and foster integrated and accountable care systems as a path toward improving both the quality and affordability of health care.
Also, partnering with TDI will be Departments of Health in Vermont and New Hampshire, NH Citizens Health Initiative and the Vermont Blueprint for Health, community organizations including the Healthy Manchester Leadership Committee, the Keene Health Coalition, the Fit and Healthy Coalition of St. Johnsbury, and educational partners at Dartmouth Medical School, the University of New Hampshire and the University of Vermont.
In addition to operational funding from the CDC, as a designated Center, TDI becomes eligible for over $12 million in research grant awards targeted at prevention strategies in areas such as cancer, nutrition and obesity, reproductive health, healthy aging, and cognitive health. Faculty from across Dartmouth and DHMC may apply for these grants through the Institute.
Lead faculty of the Center includes Dr. Fisher as Principal Investigator, as well as Melanie Mastanduno, RN, MPH; Stephen Bartels, MD, MS; Dorothy Bazos, RN, PhD; Steven Woloshin, MD, MS; Rosemary Orgren, PhD; and Eugene Nelson, D.Sc, all of The Dartmouth Institute.
The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice is a dynamic force within Dartmouth College, dedicated to improving health care through education, research, policy reform, leadership improvement, and communication with patients and the public. More information is at http://tdi.dartmouth.edu