Rachel Werner, MD, PhD
Rachel Werner, MD, PhD, a core investigator with the HSR&D Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Dr. Werner is one of 75 new U.S. and 10 international NAM members elected by their peers for accomplishments and contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, healthcare, and public health.
Dr. Werner’s research focuses on examining the effects of policies on healthcare delivery, and using methods designed to draw causal inference from observational data. She has investigated the unintended consequences of quality improvement incentives, and her work was among the first to recognize the unintended consequences of public reporting of quality information, which in some cases may worsen racial disparities.
In addition to her NAM election, Dr. Werner has received numerous other awards for her work, including the Alice Hersh New Investigator Award from AcademyHealth, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and the American Federation of Medical Research Outstanding Investigator Award.
Dr. Werner also serves as Co-Director of VA’s VISN4 Center for the Evaluation of PACT (CEPACT)—one of four demonstration labs that evaluates the implementation of VA’s Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model. CEPACT’s current focus is on improving Veteran engagement and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in Veteran engagement. She is also a general internist at the Philadelphia VAMC, and a Professor of Medicine, Director of Health Policy and Outcomes Research in the Department of Medicine, and Associate Chief for Research in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
The NAM was established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, and its mission is to improve health for all by advancing science, accelerating health equity, and providing independent, authoritative, and trusted advice nationally and globally.
