Bio: Philip van der Wees, Ph.D., a 2011-12 Dutch Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice, is manager of the Quality and Implementation Research Program, a joint program of Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, the Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy, and Maastricht University. The Program systematically evaluates the implementation of clinical guidelines, and van der Wees currently leads two large projects to assess guideline implementation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and low back pain. He was also recently appointed chair of the Guidelines International Network (G-I-N,), a collaboration of over 30 countries for setting international standards for guideline development and implementation. Previously he was manager of strategy and health policy at the Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy. Van der Wees has authored 18 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Australian Journal of Physiotherapy, Lancet Neurology, and Journal of Evaluative Clinical Practice, and is co-author of the National Standards for Guideline Development and Implementation, published by the Dutch Council for Quality of Care. He holds a Ph.D. from Maastricht University.
Placement: Harvard University
Mentors: John Ayanian, M.D., M.P.P., Harvard Medical School
Project: Impact of Massachusetts Health Care Reform on Disparities
Description: Van der Wees' project aimed to identify trends in health care delivery, health status and racial and ethnic disparities associated with implementation of health reform in Massachusetts. The methods included an interrupted time-series analysis to compare health status and use of ambulatory health care services between Massachusetts and other New England states before and after health care reform. Data was used from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS); primary outcomes of interest were self-reported health, access to care, and use of preventive services.