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A Message from CHS' Executive Director

One of the best parts of working at Group Health Center for Health Studies is the positive attitude people here have about their jobs. It’s reflected in our annual independent employee-satisfaction survey. You can also hear it in our conversations and see it in our work. The CHS faculty and staff know that we are taking an active role in transforming the nation’s health care system. We also know that Group Health Cooperative is one of the best environments in the country for studying the kind of systematic changes the nation’s health care system needs.

The key quality that makes Group Health just right for this kind of research is the way it combines health care delivery and coverage into a single system. By doing so, Group Health has strong incentives to discover how to provide great quality of care while keeping an eye on cost.

Group Health has always valued and encouraged research. But its commitment to this area has become increasingly important with today’s quickening pace of scientific discovery. Science is now making huge strides in areas such as genomics, proteomics, medical informatics, and behavior change. We also face new challenges as disease patterns shift, often related to social changes. The obesity epidemic is a current example. These trends challenge our nation’s health care system to use new evidence and medical technology effectively. Patients, providers, purchasers, and policy makers all need solid, evidence-based information to make the right choices about health and health care.

Through CHS, Group Health has a history of translating innovative discoveries into practice. CHS research helped Group Health become a national leader in areas such as breast cancer screening, immunization, smoking cessation, and chronic disease management. This kind of work will continue to be a major focus as CHS keeps finding ways to help real people everywhere benefit from the best innovations in medical science.

We will also continue to work collaboratively with our research partners at other health plans and institutes, expanding the diversity and statistical power of our study populations—initiatives that will be especially useful in areas such as pharmacoepidemiology, patient safety, and cancer control.

Credit for the Center’s success to date goes to our talented group of investigators, our staff, our collaborators, and the funding organizations that sustain our efforts. Thanks also go to Group Health leaders, members, and health care providers who continue to support the Center in its mission: conducting research to promote the prevention and effective treatment of major health problems.

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