December marks the final month of E. Richard Brown's distinguished tenure as the Center's director (read his transition announcement, here). As a teacher, mentor, past president of the American Public Health Association, health policy expert, passionate supporter of national health care reform (and of robust health data as a basis for that and other improvements to health and health care) Rick has touched the lives of many in California.
Although he will continue to maintain an active role at the Center – as director emeritus, principal investigator for the California Health Interview Survey and also as a key coordinator of a new National Network State and Local Health Surveys – Rick's vision and leadership at the Center's helm will be missed. In this interview, Rick reflects on the Center's early days, the creation of CHIS and the impact made by both the Center – and its founding director.
If you'd like to write Rick a note, please visit our "Thank you, Rick!" webpage: www.thankyourickbrown.com
Why did you decide to start a health policy center at UCLA?
I had been working on health policy studies with a small group of colleagues from three departments in the School of Public Health. I felt that a center devoted to health policy research would help us be more effective — more effective in communicating with policy makers and advocates, more effective in managing our research projects, and more effective in attracting funding for our work.
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