St@teside

The State Health Research and Policy Interest Group is holding two meetings in 2007:

State Health Research and Policy Interest Group Policy Breakfast
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
7:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.

This program, designed for individuals working on or interested in state-level health policy and research, will focus on the upcoming reauthorization and potential reform of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This interactive session will feature a discussion of broad policy considerations, a summary of nearly a decade of research on SCHIP that has implications for the program’s reauthorization, and potential challenges for state officials.

Confirmed Panelists:
Jeanne Lambrew, Ph.D.
George Washington University

Lynn Blewett, Ph.D.
State Health Access and Data Assistance Center (SHADAC)

Cindy Mann, J.D.
Georgetown University

Rhonda Medows, M.D.
Georgia Department of Community Health

There is no fee for this program but registration is required. To register, please send an e-mail to shrp@academyhealth.org. Include your name, title, organization, phone, and email address.

Sponsors:
The California Endowment
California Healthcare Foundation
The Commonwealth Fund
Georgia Health Policy Center
Rutgers Center for State Health Policy
State Coverage Initiatives
State Health Access and Data Assistance Center (SHADAC)

State Health Research and Policy Interest Group Meeting
Saturday, June 2, Orlando, Fl.
Held in conjunction with the 2007 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting June 3-5, 2007

Call for Papers: Submission Deadline: February 1, 2007
The State Health Research and Policy Interest Group Call for Papers offers researchers, policymakers, and practitioners the opportunity to share recent state-level research that emphasizes the unique challenges of working within a state policy and political environment. Papers that demonstrate innovative approaches to addressing state policy research needs, sound applied policy research methods, effective strategies for collaborating with state agencies and policy decision makers, and promising communication tools are being sought. To learn more and to submit an abstract, visit the Web site.

Papers will be chosen for two panels: One panel will focus on data analysis and research methodology and techniques that support relevant state policy research. The second panel will concentrate on strategies and best practices that focus on promoting translation and/or implementation of research into policy and practice and help create the link between researchers and policymakers.

Abstract topic examples for the data/methodology panel include, but are not limited to: 

• Research that includes the use of relevant literature reviews and/or analysis of best practices of state approaches to a particular policy issue 
• Innovative application of national data sets or creation of new local data sets to meet the policy information needs of one or more states 
• New and novel approaches to state-specific research that add to current understanding of a particular topic including issues related to analysis of survey data, qualitative data, or other quantitative data 
• Simulations of alternative approaches to increasing health insurance coverage among the uninsured 
• Measuring the impact of innovative information technologies on increased health care access, utilization, and/or outcomes among state residents or underserved subpopulations 
• Innovative applications for linking state datasets to assess and improve health care efficiency, service coordination, and continuity of care 
• The integration of literature, best practices, and primary and secondary, qualitative and quantitative data sources to shed light on the complexity of a state level policy issue

Abstract topic examples for the translation/implementation research panel include, but are not limited to: 

• Research/policy collaborations that clearly identify and frame the questions that guide research and the research/policy process 
• Efforts or strategies to identify and frame key messages from the research that is important to policymakers 
• Efforts or strategies to identify who are critical audiences when working toward the implementation of research 
• Effective strategies for communicating or translating complex health services research into policy options, especially options that have been adopted by state policy makers

Criteria for Evaluating Submissions
All papers will undergo blind peer review and will be evaluated using the following criteria: (1) importance of the policy topic and/or significance of techniques and methods for advancing state health policy research; (2) appropriate methods; (3) quality and originality; (4) applicability across states; and (5) clarity of writing and presentation.

Papers not selected for oral presentation will be automatically considered for poster presentation. Notifications will be sent by March 5.

Instructions
Only abstracts submitted online will be considered. Submissions must be received by 5:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 1, 2007 to be considered. We encourage you to submit early to ensure prompt confirmation and processing.
To submit: 

• Complete all fields in the submission form. Incomplete information or papers submitted as an e-mail attachment will not be considered for review. 
• Do not use tables, graphs, special formatting (e.g. bold and underline), or scientific symbols. Submissions with these features will not be considered.
• The abstract limit is 500 words. The abstract should have enough information for the review committee to judge the submission based on the above criteria.