Research

National Public Health Experts Discuss Health Reform at 2014 Keeneland Conference

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 9, 2014) -- Research shows that improving the public’s health requires much more than simply expanding health insurance coverage and improving access to doctors and hospitals.  This is why leaders in public health research, policy, and practice from around the country will gather in Lexington this week to share their latest lessons learned at the 2014 Keeneland Conference in Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR), a premier national meeting focused on advancing the science of public health across the United States.

Hosted by the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research, the conference brings together researchers, practitioners and policymakers to share the latest research and insights regarding how to organize, finance, and deliver programs and policies that improve health status on a population-wide basis.

Keynote speakers scheduled for the conference being held through April 10, in Lexington, include Dr. Alonzo Plough, vice president and chief science officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Dr. David Ross, director of the Public Health Informatics Institute.

In addition to the two keynote speakers, this year’s Keeneland Conference will feature three interactive plenary sessions:

·       Innovations and Evidence Needs for Governmental Public Health Practice

·       Implementing Health Reform in Kentucky

·       Translating Research Findings for Policymakers

“Scientific advances are providing us with an expanding toolbox of strategies for preventing major health threats like obesity, tobacco exposure, infectious diseases, and environmental pathogens,” said Dr. Glen Mays, a professor of public health at UK and director of the coordinating center. “The annual Keeneland Conference lets us focus on the equally important science involved in putting these tools to work in real communities.”

The National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research  is housed at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The center works to conducts and coordinates research and disseminates scientific evidence about how best to organize, finance, and deliver strategies that improve the public’s health, and supports the translation and application of research findings for policy and practice. The Center also works to engage public health practice settings directly in the production and application of evidence by developing and supporting practice-based research networks (PBRNs). 

For more information about the Keeneland Conference, visit www.keenelandconference.org

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Mallory Powell, mallory.powell@uky.edu