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UnitedHealthcare Establishes New Endowed Professorship at University of Michigan School of Public HealthThe University of Michigan School of Public Health announced that Andrew Ryan has been named the first UnitedHealthcare Professor of Health Care Management. UnitedHealthcare established this $2.5 million endowed professorship to support a selected tenured faculty member by funding both salary and a discretionary fund that enables the school to pursue innovative health policy research. As associate professor of health management and policy, Ryan's research focuses primarily on value-based payment models, or payment structures that motivate health care providers, including doctors, hospitals and health systems, to provide high-quality, affordable care to their patients. His work aims to better understand these programs' effectiveness, whether there are specific aspects that are responsible for their successes and failures, and determine which types of clinicians or care provider groups are better positioned to thrive through these payment models. The endowment aligns with UnitedHealthcare's continued collaboration with care providers in moving to a value-based health care system. "Professor Ryan is doing some of the most important research today on value-based care," said Cathleen Connell, interim dean of Michigan Public Health. "His work is helping identify potential changes that could improve outcomes and lower health care costs for millions of Americans. We are grateful to have UnitedHealthcare as a strong partner and for its commitment to advancing health care research at such an important time in the evolution of this industry. Those who invest with us understand the long view and the echo effect of their gift. By providing funding, UnitedHealthcare is not only creating immediate impact - it is helping build the future of public health." "We need the country's best and brightest minds working on today's toughest health care challenges and look forward to partnering with Dr. Ryan and others on how to improve the cost and quality of care for everyone," said Steve Nelson, UnitedHealthcare CEO. "This endowment is an investment in the next generation of this country's health care leadership." Endowed gifts provide a permanent, self-sustaining source of funding. UnitedHealthcare's donation will be invested, and each year a portion of the return on investment will be used to support the professorship. Ryan is the director of the Center for Evaluating Health Reform and the co-director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy at the University of Michigan. He is also a member of the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and is associate director of the institute's Data and Methods Hub. Ryan holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Economics from Boston University and a Ph.D. in Social Policy from Brandeis University (News - Alert).
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