Health

Improving the health of people in the U.S. and abroad

AIR seeks to improve people’s lives and communities by addressing all aspects of health and well-being—physical, social, emotional, and mental—from the earliest years through later in life. Our work covers a broad range of areas, including the treatment and prevention of diseases; strategies for addressing the opioid epidemic and other substance use disorders; supporting access to health care with a focus on equity; and improving health systems, patient care, and public outreach and communications.

Our health work focuses on issues that impact the health and well-being of all populations. AIR’s work generates evidence to inform policymakers, leaders, and practitioners as they work to improve access and quality, and reduce inequalities.

Latest Work

Project

Qualitative Study of Non-Clinical Support Services: Addressing the Needs and Preferences of Abortion Patients (Planned Parenthood Federation of America)

To better understand and address the needs and preferences of abortion patients who face significant obstacles to accessing care, this research helped to systematically develop and refine our knowledge of existing and best practices related to coordination of care and practical and logistical supports for those seeking abortion services.
Project

Patient Prioritization of End-stage Renal Disease Symptoms

While extant literature has studied symptoms experienced by patients with end-stage renal disease receiving in-center hemodialysis, AIR has been supported by the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Health Initiative to address a knowledge gap regarding which symptoms patients prioritize for the development of new or improved therapies to support symptom relief. The work has yielded a “call-to-action” for the field of symptom treatment and management for in-center hemodialysis patients, outlining promising practices, challenges, and key opportunities in both research and practice.
Project

Patient-reported Outcomes: How Patients with Kidney Failure Feel and Function

Advances in the treatment of kidney disease through better diagnosis and incentives for preventive care; increased access to home dialysis and kidney transplants; and greater investment in the development of breakthrough technologies like wearable or implantable artificial kidneys were recently launched by a 2019 Executive Order. AIR recently supported these efforts by working with the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Health Initiative in executing a project funded by the Food and Drug Administration.
28 Apr 2021
Spotlight

Teaching in the Time of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted education system across the country and around the world, changing what classrooms and learning look like on a day-to-day basis. Educators are navigating a constantly shifting landscape, with the health of students, teachers, and the community at large at stake. Explore our research, resources, and webinar recordings to better understand the challenges teachers are facing and find tools and resources educators can use as they move forward.
22 Apr 2021
Brief

Separating Myth from Reality: Telehealth Expansion and the Potential for Fraud

As the number of telehealth services increased during the COVID-19 public health emergency, so did concerns that such expansion may lead to an increase in fraud and abuse, particularly within the Medicare program. To ascertain whether this increase has been associated with the unnecessary or excessive use of healthcare, health policy researchers from IMPAQ, Index Analytics, and AIR reviewed the accuracy of claims that increased use of telehealth is likely to increase fraud and abuse.
Image of doctor and patient laughing together
21 Apr 2021
Q & A

How Systems and Communities Can Partner on Goals and Measurement to Advance Equity

AIR is working on two projects funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focused on how to use measurement to drive transformative, meaningful, and sustainable change. Senior Researchers Tandrea Hilliard-Boone, Ellen Schultz, and Karen Frazier discuss what they’ve learned through these projects about how systems can keep people healthy and how to use measurement as a tool to make those changes in equitable ways.
Image of kids running outside school, wearing masks
12 Apr 2021
Q & A

How Expanded Learning Programs and Schools Work Together to Support California Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

AIR partnered with Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) and the Partnership for Children and Youth to create resources that help educators strengthen partnerships between expanded learning programs and schools; plan integrated whole child supports; and design in-person learning hubs. In this Q&A, AIR Researcher Femi Vance describes the interconnected nature of these concepts and programs and their connection to equity.
Image of young girl getting onto a school bus
8 Apr 2021
Spotlight

Mental Health Awareness

Raising awareness and increasing the understanding of mental health can change the way society views and responds to this complex issue. AIR promotes positive mental health through school and community-based approaches involving youth, families, school, health care providers, and other stakeholders.
Image of AIR expert Amanda Latimore
7 Apr 2021
Q & A

Meet the Expert: Amanda Latimore

Amanda Latimore, Ph.D., leads AIR’s Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES). She also teaches social epidemiology as an adjunct assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Before joining AIR, Latimore held leadership roles with the Baltimore health department and behavioral health authority.
Infographic: 43% of respondents feel everyone should be required to get the vaccine
23 Mar 2021
In the Field

Understanding Patients’ Feelings on COVID-19 Vaccinations and Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy

Despite promising vaccine trial data, some individuals, particularly Black Americans and people living in rural areas, remain hesitant to be vaccinated against COVID-19. A nationally representative survey from the American Institutes for Research provides additional data on how the public feels about vaccine access, prioritization, and requirements.
Infographic: 50% of respondents feel safer when patients and staff are required to wear a mask
16 Mar 2021
In the Field

What Health Care Providers Should Know about Patients’ Hesitancy to Seek in-Person Care

Considering the decline in preventive care services and the continuing pandemic, it is important that health care providers ensure that their patients understand the continued need for preventive care and the efforts health care providers and systems have taken to make health care seeking behavior safe. Because they have likely established trust with their patients, providers are best positioned to communicate when a patient should receive in-person care or whether telehealth is sufficient; AIR’s survey provides further insights.
19 Feb 2021
Brief

COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions, In Plain Language

AIR has created a plain-language FAQ that addresses a variety of topics related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is designed to make information accessible and comprehensible to everyone, regardless of education level or background.
12 Feb 2021
Service

Trauma-Informed Care │ Our Services

AIR brings extensive expertise providing training and technical assistance (TTA) to support systems in capacity building efforts to adopt a trauma-informed, survivor-driven approach to care. AIR applies a public health approach to addressing trauma and supports systems in adopting a universal, trauma-informed approach to have the broadest reach and impact.
Image of student getting temperature taken by a teacher
9 Feb 2021
Q & A

How Can Community COVID-19 Rates Inform Decisions on Reopening Schools?

COVID-19 has profoundly disrupted K–12 schooling. A working paper from AIR’s National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) suggests the prevalence of COVID in the community could be an important factor in deciding whether public schools reopen or remain open.
3 Feb 2021
Guide

Improving Lives Through Evidence-Based Approaches

Addressing persistent challenges in education, health care, and workforce requires evidence-backed approaches. For nearly 75 years, AIR has researched key issues and offered insight into the effectiveness of many strategies. Read our policy primer to explore our body of evidence covering issues such as COVID-19, early childhood, school climate, the opioid crisis, occupational licensing, and more.
Infographic: Health Care Hesitancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic Survey Results
14 Jan 2021
In the Field

How Willing Are People in the U.S. to Seek Health Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Besides the direct impact of COVID-19 on daily life, the pandemic has affected how individuals approach their personal health and well-being, including if and how they seek health care services.
30 Dec 2020
Report

To What Extent Does In-Person Schooling Contribute to the Spread of COVID-19? Evidence from Michigan and Washington

The instructional modality of schools (in-person, hybrid, or remote instruction) has implications not only for the health and safety of students and staff, but also student learning and the degree to which parents can engage in job activities. In this working paper, we consider the role of instructional modality in disease spread among the wider community.
22 Dec 2020
Report

S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation National Character Initiative Retrospective

Starting in 2019, AIR partnered with the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, to capture grantees’ experiences with the National Character Initiative. Specifically, through interviews and surveys, AIR aimed to describe grantees’ experiences implementing the grants and participating in the supports that were provided by the Foundation and expert consultants. Findings from the retrospective may be useful to other foundations as they decide how to fund and support youth-serving organizations.
17 Dec 2020
Brief

Using Telehealth to Meet the Challenges of the Opioid Epidemic

COVID-19 dramatically accelerated the use of telehealth in behavioral healthcare, In the context of surging overdose-related mortality rates, the need to remove barriers to the equitable delivery of evidence-based care for treating opioid use disorder (OUD) in a telehealth setting has never been more urgent. Colleagues across AIR and IMPAQ collaborated on an issue brief to understand the pandemic’s impact on treatment approaches for OUD and what policymakers, providers, and stakeholders can do to ensure equitable and effective telehealth treatment with medications for OUD.
Image of the year 2020
11 Dec 2020
Spotlight

AIR 2020 Year in Review: Using Evidence and Practice in Response to COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has affected how we live, work, and thrive—and reminded us of the vast inequities that persist in our culture. Research and evidence can be a path forward through these uncertain times and help us improve the lives of individuals, communities, and society. Here are some highlights of how AIR contributed and used evidence to inform practice during this unprecedented year.
4 Dec 2020
Commentary

Building Community Trust Essential to COVID Vaccine Acceptance

This commentary by Amanda Latimore appeared in the Baltimore Sun on December 4, 2020. "With most states now much higher than the 5% COVID-19 test positivity limit recommended for reopening—and at least 10 states exceeding 20% positivity—announcements of vaccine deployment as early as December couldn’t come soon enough. But for public health experts, concerns about community acceptance of vaccines cast a shadow over the promising news..."
Image of Erica Shelton
1 Dec 2020
Video

Bridging Health Care Research and Practice

Evidence-based health care information helps both the public and organizations make sound decisions. In this video, Erica Shelton shares how her experience as an emergency medicine physician plays a role in providing technical assistance at AIR, where she is a principal health clinician researcher.
Illustration of woman with cell phone
1 Dec 2020
Spotlight

AIR’s COVID-19 Response and Resources

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. This virus, also known as COVID-19, has dramatically changed the lives of people around the globe, touching all aspects of life, from health care to education to the economy. In this new world of rapidly changing information about the virus, AIR seeks to be a source of evidence-based information that examines and begins to understand the various complexities of this crisis.
Image of David Hayes-Bautista
14 Oct 2020
Q & A

An Emerging Narrative on Latino Health Disparities and its Implications in the COVID-19 Era

Longstanding systemic health and social inequities have put Americans categorized as racial and ethnic minorities at greater risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19. At the same time, Latinos have a history of good health outcomes. AIR Institute Fellow David E. Hayes-Bautista has researched Latino health outcomes for more than three decades, and has reframed the narrative about diversity, race and ethnicity, and health. In this Q & A, he explains his findings and the implications for health care policy and practice.
8 Oct 2020
Q & A

In Conversation: What Do Rising Rates of Anxiety and Depression Mean for Families, Schools, and Communities?

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented American families with extraordinary challenges. Alarming rates of anxiety and depression symptoms are among the most troubling. In this Q&A, Frank Rider and Kelly Wells discuss the implications for families, schools, and communities.
Project

Traumatic Brain Injury Resource Bundle for American Indians

Indigenous people throughout North America are at greater risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and poor TBI-related outcomes based on disparities in health, connections to poverty, violence, and systemic racism. An AIR research team is working in partnership with the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board, an Advisory Council of TBI stakeholders, and technical experts in TBI to develop a resource bundle for American Indians. These groups will collaborate to translate information from resources that the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center has developed working with other NIDILRR-funded researchers.
31 Aug 2020
Brief

The Expansion of Telehealth: Equity Considerations for Policymakers, Providers, and Payers

Health policy researchers from IMPAQ and AIR have been tracking and analyzing the rapid advancements in telehealth delivery and accessibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief explores how policymakers, providers, and payers can increase access to telehealth for diverse patient populations; navigate issues of digital literacy; expand broadband access; and shift toward a health care system that incentivizes both value and equity.
Image of baby with parents
3 Aug 2020
Q & A

A Quick Word with Alex Holod on Awareness of Family Leave Policy in California

According to existing research, giving mothers paid time off could lead to both improved health outcomes and overall costs savings from reduced employee turnover and re-training costs. AIR's Alex Holod describes the benefits of family leave for both parent and child, why some parents aren’t taking full advantage of available family leave, and the lessons that California's Family Leave practices offer the rest of the country.
Image of empty desks in a classroom
27 Jul 2020
In the Field

Why Retaining Deeply Experienced Teachers Is Critical During a Global Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic turns into a longer-term crisis with no end in sight, planning for the fall raises even more questions for teachers about school policies and their own futures. This is the first installment of a new series in which AIR experts discuss how to facilitate quality instruction in the midst of a pandemic, from attracting, preparing, and retaining teachers to providing them with professional learning opportunities.
23 Jul 2020
Podcast

AIR Informs: Responding to the Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic

AIR takes an evidence-based approach to its research, evaluation, training, and technical assistance work on a daily basis. For our latest podcast series, AIR Informs, AIR experts explore the different ways the coronavirus pandemic is affecting our lives and how we can address the challenges it presents.
Woman and child hugging
26 Jun 2020
Spotlight

Raising Awareness of HIV/AIDS Prevention

Across the world, medical and government leaders are working toward an “AIDS-free generation,” based on the promising potential of effective treatments. Learn more about the latest work in raising awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention.
Image of two boys walking together, arm in arm
23 Jun 2020
Guide

Building a Multi-System Trauma-Informed Collaborative

The effects of childhood trauma are seen in health care, employment, child welfare, homelessness services, juvenile and criminal justice, and education systems. This guide is designed to help child-serving agencies and their partners build a coordinated and more effective response to child trauma, and to support jurisdictions as they look to further coordinate services and response across diverse stakeholders.
Image of Preventing Youth Violence graphic
17 Jun 2020
In the Field

Five Evidence-based Takeaways Policymakers Need to Know About Preventing Youth Violence

The root causes of youth violence are similar in communities across the globe, but community responses to improve public safety and well-being vary considerably. To address this need in the Latin America and Caribbean region, the USAID selected AIR to conduct a global review of the evidence on youth violence prevention. Patricia Campie shares five takeaways from the resulting comprehensive study.
Project

Investigating Health Care Hesitancy During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, rates for routine preventive care and chronic condition monitoring have dropped as efforts have increased to limit exposure and spread of the COVID-19 virus. Through administration of a national survey, researchers at AIR seek to understand and assess changes in individuals’ usage of medical and dental services before and after the public health emergency.
28 May 2020
Q & A

A Quick Word with: Kathleen Guarino on Mental Health During a Health Crisis

Kathleen Guarino is a senior technical assistance consultant at AIR with expertise in child mental health, trauma, and trauma-informed care. In this Q&A, she discusses the challenges—and some unexpected opportunities—around mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine.
Image of colorful masks
28 May 2020
In the Field

AIR’s Megan Eccleston Launches Find the Helpers, Builds a “Mask Empire” for COVID-19 Response

When the COVID-19 crisis hit, AIR’s Megan Eccleston plunged unexpectedly into a once-in-a-lifetime extracurricular challenge: organizing a grassroots volunteer initiative to help hospitals desperate for face masks and other supplies. With her professional expertise—and a can-do spirit—Megan has built a multi-state coalition of thousands of volunteers that has delivered nearly one million masks to hospitals in just three months.
15 May 2020
Brief

The Promise of Telehealth for Addressing COVID-19

The use of telehealth has increased during the current global coronavirus pandemic. The word "telehealth" is sometimes used interchangeably with "telemedicine," but these terms mean different things. This brief explores those differences, how remote health care services work and for what conditions, and what policy changes have occurred to expand access to remote health care.
Illustration of AIR expert Yael Harris
21 Apr 2020
Q & A

Meet the Expert: Yael Harris

Yael Harris leads research projects to advance access, quality, payment reform, and other policies to transform health care delivery. She is involved in a wide-ranging set of health-related projects, including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Quality Indicators, the Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns Evaluation, and Project Talent. Learn more about her and her work in this Q&A.
2 Apr 2020
Podcast

AIR Informs Episode #3: Creating a Safe, Supportive Learning Environment at Home

In this episode of AIR Informs, David Osher, an AIR vice president and Institute Fellow, explains the science of learning and development, as well as how parents can create a safe, supportive learning environment at home while their children are away from school during the coronavirus pandemic.
Project

Violence Prevention Technical Assistance Center

AIR is the lead contractor for the Violence Prevention Technical Assistance Center (VPTAC), part of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Violence Prevention. This comprehensive training and technical assistance center addresses sexual violence, child abuse and neglect, intimate partner violence, and youth violence.
30 Mar 2020
Podcast

AIR Informs Episode #2: Opportunities for Learning and Development in Out-of-School Time

In this podcast, AIR managing director and youth development expert Dr. Deborah Moroney, based in Chicago, shares what parents should know about out-of-school time programs and resources to support students while they’re not in school.
18 Mar 2020
Podcast

AIR Informs Episode #1: Focusing on Facts and Evidence During a Health Crisis

Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, a practicing physician, researcher, and director of the AIR Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES), provides some advice for finding reliable sources of information, rooted in science and evidence, while avoiding a sense of panic.
Image of AIR CEO David Myers
17 Mar 2020
Commentary

Caring for Our People; Committed to Our Work. AIR President David Myers Responds to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Like all organizations and institutions, AIR is responding to the global coronavirus pandemic. In these most unusual circumstances, we remain committed to improving people’s lives through research, evaluation, and technical assistance and serving the needs of our communities, our clients, and our partners. Read a message from our CEO, David Myers.
Project

Welcome Baby

Welcome Baby, a Los Angeles County-based home-visiting program sponsored by First 5 LA, provides an opportunity for new parents to learn about early childhood development and obtain assistance on issues such as basic health care, insurance coverage, nutrition, breastfeeding, family violence, maternal depression, or improving home safety. First 5 LA contracted with AIR, and its partners at Georgetown University and Juárez & Associates, to conduct a longitudinal study of the program.
Project

Analysis, Training, and Technical Assistance to States Participating in the Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program

AIR serves as one of five organizations under contract to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide analysis, training, and technical assistance to states and providers participating in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program authorized under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health, or HITECH, Act.
Illustration of Roger Jarjoura
25 Feb 2020
Q & A

Meet the Expert: Roger Jarjoura

Roger Jarjoura is on the leadership team for AIR’s National Reentry Resource Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to joining AIR in 2012, he spent 19 years as a faculty member in the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, where he served as a fellow on community engagement.
Project

Evaluations of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Programs in San Mateo County, CA

To help meet the needs of vulnerable residents, San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services engaged AIR to conduct research and evaluations to improve integrated behavioral health services and systems. AIR also is working closely with county personnel to develop specific steps to address findings of the analyses.
Graphic showing 2019 turning to 2020
11 Dec 2019
Spotlight

AIR 2019 Highlights: Advancing Equity Through Evidence

Equity is at the heart of AIR’s mission and work. In 2019, AIR’s experts contributed evidence and insights in support of equal access to a good education, quality health care services, and robust opportunities in the workforce. Learn how AIR’s mission-focused work in research, evaluation, and technical assistance is improving people’s lives across the U.S. and around the world.
Project

Meeting the Growing Need for Clinicians to Care for People with Arthritis

The number of Americans living with arthritis continues to grow beyond the field of rheumatology’s capacity to provide needed care. AIR is working with the Arthritis Foundation to explore whether patients will accept advanced practice providers such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants as an option to fill the growing shortage of rheumatologists.
Project

Understanding Facilitators and Barriers to Vaccination in Rural Communities

National surveys show that vaccination rates for young children (19–35 months old) in rural areas are lower for nearly all recommended vaccines. AIR is conducting a qualitative study for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to understand facilitators of and barriers to vaccination in rural U.S. communities.
Image of girl with flag holding soldier's hand
8 Nov 2019
Spotlight

Caring for America's Veterans

Hundreds of thousands of veterans return from conflict having experienced trauma; many struggle with PTSD and some are at risk for homelessness. We can serve veterans better by developing the best trauma-informed care practices, engaging families, and making the physical and mental well-being of service men and women a priority.
student and teacher working on math problem
4 Nov 2019
In the Field

Supporting Students in Secure Care Through Title I, Part D

Educating students who have been neglected, delinquent, or are otherwise at-risk requires specialized training and careful collaboration across the agencies responsible for serving for these students. For this reason, each state receives funding from the U.S. Department of Education through the Title I, Part D Neglected or Delinquent Programs. Determining the best use of these funds is a top priority for all Title I, Part D coordinators.
16 Oct 2019
Journal Article

High School Personality and Dementia

Personality phenotype has been associated with subsequent dementia in studies of older adults. This study used Project Talent data to examine whether personality during adolescence—a time when pre-clinical dementia pathology is unlikely to be present—confers risk for dementia in later life.
Project

CAHPS® Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS CAHPS) Survey

The CAHPS Home and Community-Based Services Survey (HCBS CAHPS) elicits feedback from Medicaid enrollees about the quality of the long-term services and supports they receive in the community. As a subcontractor on this Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services project, AIR led qualitative research to develop survey items in the following domains: shared decisionmaking, personal safety, planning time and activities, transportation, unmet needs, staff helpfulness, and staff listening and communications skills.
Image of doctor consulting with patient
11 Sep 2019
Brief

What I Want My Doctor to Know About How Arthritis and Chronic Pain Affect My Everyday Life

The rapid growth in opioid overdoses has put a spotlight on prescribing patterns, with increased pressure on clinicians to reduce opioid prescribing, especially for long-term management of chronic, noncancer pain. This brief is the result of interviews conducted with people with a disability due to arthritis, who are on long-term opioids or have stopped taking opioids after developing an opioid use disorder.
Project

Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport Learning System

Currently, Medicare only pays for emergency ground ambulance services when beneficiaries are transported to specific types of facilities, most often a hospital emergency department, creating an incentive to transport all beneficiaries to the hospital even when more appropriate alternative treatment options are available. AIR is contributing to the development of a learning system funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to support a model designed to give ambulance care teams greater flexibility to address emergency care needs of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries following a 911 call.
26 Aug 2019
Toolkit

A Framework for Patient and Family Engagement

The Patient and Family Engagement framework is built on the fundamental principle that we cannot achieve an improved and patient-centered health care system unless patients are more than passive recipients of directives from the medical care system. Informed by years of research, the framework reflects patients, families, and health care professionals working together as partners to improve health and to redesign the parts of the system that are not working.
Project

Aligning Systems with Communities to Advance Equity through Shared Measurement

Systems can work together to align their actions and decisionmaking. One way is through shared measurement: using a common set of measurable goals that reflect shared priorities across systems and with community members. With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AIR explored how shared measurement helps systems and communities systematically define collective goals, monitor progress, generate buy-in, and create accountability within organizations and communities.
Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar
1 Aug 2019
Q & A

Meet the Expert: Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar

As an expert on substance use disorders, Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, M.D., directs the Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions at AIR (AIR CARES). She is board certified in family medicine, preventive medicine/public heath, and addiction medicine and holds a Master of Public Health degree in health disparities and human rights.
Image of older couple looking at papers with a health professional
19 Jul 2019
In the Field

The Quest to Connect Patient and Family Engagement to Health Care Quality and Safety

AIR has been a leader in the evolution of patient and family engagement as a key quality improvement strategy. In this Q&A, Thomas Workman, principal researcher at AIR, shares his insights about the current state of health care safety and patient and family engagement—and where we’re headed.
Image of Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar
10 Jun 2019
Video

Tackling the Opioid Epidemic Through Research and Patient Care

Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, director of AIR’s Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES) and a practicing physician at Heartland Alliance Health in Chicago, discusses her personal experience in treating patients with addiction and how research can help tackle the opioid epidemic.
28 May 2019
Q & A

A Quick Word With: Patricia Campie on a Rare, Longitudinal Study of School Violence

Patricia Campie is a criminologist with more than 20 years of experience leading community-based research, evaluation, and implementation science initiatives. She is the principal investigator for the Research on Lowering Violence in Schools and Communities (ReSOLV) project, a five-year longitudinal study of the root causes of school violence and community, school, and individual capacities to address them. Here she answers some questions about the project.
17 May 2019
Spotlight

AIR Reads: A Sampling of Books by AIR Board Members, Fellows, and Staff Members

Making the world a better and more informed place drives AIR board members, fellows, and staff. These recent books examine pressing issues in depth, drawing on the best research available to understand complex challenges and offer practical solutions.
13 May 2019
In the Field

What’s Changed the Most in the Mental Health Field? AIR Experts Provide Perspective in Recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month

Just like physical health, mental health is crucial to everyone’s well-being. For Mental Health Awareness Month, five AIR experts reflected on three of the biggest trends and shifts they’ve observed from their collective years in the field.
9 May 2019
Brief

How Public Datasets Can Address Data Obstacles in Pay for Success: A Demonstration for Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities

As part of its Pay for Success work, AIR developed a workaround to common data obstacles these projects face. AIR was contracted to develop the evaluation design for the San Diego-based Project (re)Launch, which sought to improve employment and health outcomes for veterans with service-connected disabilities by providing intensive case management and wraparound supports.
9 May 2019
Journal Article

Knowledge of Legal Protections and Employment-Related Resources Among Young Adults with Cancer

Young adults (aged 18–39 years) who have received a cancer diagnosis can encounter significant barriers in their transition to employment. This study explored to what extent these young adults know about legal and programmatic supports that may help to address their employment-related needs, and how they would like to receive information about available resources.
Image of students from the 1960s taking a test in a classroom
15 Apr 2019
Q & A

Checking in on Project Talent with AIR Vice President Susan Lapham

Project Talent is the largest, most comprehensive study of high school students ever conducted in the United States. Since its launch in 1960, researchers have continued to collect data on the original participants and now its data are helping AIR researchers study possible risk and protective factors of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Project Talent Director and AIR Vice President Susan Lapham answered a few questions about the project, its history, and its potential influence.
Project

Partnership for Patients: Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Care

In a project for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, AIR developed tools and strategies to help hospitals effectively engage patients and families, with the goal of improving safety in health care across the country. AIR developed the Strategic Vision Roadmap for Person and Family Engagement to help these networks and hospitals implement, sustain, and evaluate engagement activities.
Project

California Family Leave and Health Outcomes Study

California was the first state in the nation in 2002 to enact paid family leave for workers to bond with a new child or care for an ill family member. AIR led a research study, in collaboration with the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, to examine the relations among family leave policy, maternal leave-taking, and child and maternal health outcomes. AIR has developed a number of policy briefs from this work spanning inequality in access to family leave policy, maternal employment, and postpartum healthcare utilization.
Image of man on a bench with his arm around a boy
22 Feb 2019
Q & A

A Quick Word About Mentoring With: Manolya Tanyu, Senior Researcher

The 2012 Mentoring Enhancement Demonstration program was designed to strengthen existing youth mentoring programs across the United States. In this Q&A, Manolya Tanyu describes the effectiveness of the programmatic enhancements—and the challenges of implementing them across a wide array of youth mentoring organizations.
Project

Supporting Restorative Reentry in Detroit

This randomized-controlled trial seeks to understand how family-based restorative justice can improve the lives of men and women suffering from addiction as they transition from the criminal justice system back to their communities.
Image of 2018 end of year graphic
2 Jan 2019
Spotlight

Infographic: 2018 in Review

As we look back over 2018, AIR's Professional Services Division reflects on the progress we’ve made in fulfilling our mission of conducting and applying the best behavioral and social science research, evaluation, and technical assistance towards improving people’s lives, with a special emphasis on the disadvantaged.
Project

Evaluation and Learning Support for Upstream Initiatives in Massachusetts and Washington

Upstream is a fast-growing nonprofit working to reduce unplanned pregnancy by expanding access to contraceptive options. Through state-based quality improvement teams, Upstream provides health centers with patient-centered, evidence-based training and technical assistance to help ensure all women have same-day access to the birth control method of their choice.
Historical photo from project talent
20 Nov 2018
Journal Article

High School Personality Traits and 48-Year All-cause Mortality Risk: Results from a National Sample of 26,845 Baby Boomers

New research finds that high school students’ personality traits may be linked to a heightened or lessened risk of death around 50 years later. These findings, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, come from an in-depth analysis of AIR’s Project Talent, now in its 59th year.
8 Nov 2018
Q & A

A Quick Word With: Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, Director of AIR’s Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES)

Cross-sector collaboration is crucial to address the opioid crisis, and AIR’s new center on opioids is poised to play a role. The Center’s director, Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, addresses this and more.
Project

Understanding Omissions of Care in Nursing Homes

Research shows that a substantial portion of patient harms are avoidable, and that omission of care is a significant factor in many adverse events in nursing homes. The goal of this project was to review, summarize, and synthesize existing approaches related to omissions of care in nursing homes into a single definition and to present the evidence about omissions of care in useful ways for identifying when and how they occur, which omissions lead to which consequences, how omissions can be monitored, and what strategies are effective in preventing them.
Image of older adults
7 Sep 2018
Journal Article

The Relationship Between Adolescent Cognitive Ability and Dementia

As the U.S. deals with the growing number of Americans living with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, a new study suggests that those at risk of developing dementia in later life could be identified in adolescence, giving them the opportunity to receive interventions to offset the risk.
Project

Surgeon General’s Report on Community Health and Economic Prosperity

The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 exposed additional costs as the virus claimed more lives among those with certain underlying conditions—such as obesity and diabetes—and disrupted the American economy to a grave extent. AIR worked with CDC and the Office of the Surgeon General to produce the Surgeon General’s Report, Community Health and Economic Prosperity: Engaging Businesses as Stewards and Stakeholders, which aims to demonstrate the link between healthier communities and economic prosperity, and make the case for the private sector to invest in improving community health.
Project

Learning Health System Panel to Inform and Encourage Use of Evidence Reviews

To increase uptake of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality evidence reviews, AIR is working with a panel of 11 diverse learning health systems (LHS) to develop products and tools to help make these comprehensive evidence reviews more accessible to LHS executives and clinicians, with the goal of timely integration of evidence-based findings into the care delivered to patients and communities.
Project

Improving Assessment of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) for People with Disabilities and Chronic Arthritis Pain

The rapid growth in opioid overdoses has put a spotlight on prescribing patterns, with increased pressure on clinicians to reduce opioid prescribing, especially for long-term management of chronic, noncancer pain. As part of a grant provided by National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), AIR is working to lay the groundwork for primary care providers and specialists to accurately assess opioid use disorder in people with disabilities who are taking opioids long term to manage musculoskeletal pain.
Image of doctor's and patient's hands
18 Jun 2018
Journal Article

A New Framework for Patient Engagement in Cancer Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Studies

This commentary, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, describes the authors' experience designing and pilot testing a new framework for patient engagement at SWOG, one of the largest cancer clinical trial network groups in the United States and one of the four adult groups in the NCI’s National Clinical Trials Network.
Image of DNA double helix
7 May 2018
Journal Article

Genetic Test Availability and Spending: Where Are We Now? Where Are We Going?

Genetic testing and spending on that testing have grown rapidly since the mapping of the human genome in 2003. However, it is not widely known how many tests there are, how they are used, and how they are paid for. We examined test availability and spending for the full spectrum of genetic tests, using unique data sources on test availability and commercial payer spending for privately insured populations, focusing particularly on tests measuring multiple genes in the period 2014–17.
Project

Evaluation of the Join-in Circuit (JIC) on AIDS, Love, and Sexuality Program in Zambia

Approximately 13% of Zambia’s 15- to 49-year-olds are living with HIV, and the nation’s long-term vision is to end the threat of the disease by 2030. The Join-in Circuit on AIDS, Love, and Sexuality in Zambia aims to bolster existing sexual and reproductive health education efforts. Through the program, trained facilitators host a circuit of mini-sessions where participants can learn about and openly discuss sensitive topics.
Project

DC Summer Food Finder

While the DC Free Summer Meals program offers no-cost food to students throughout the city, families have often had difficulty finding the locations where meals are available. As a part of AIR’s Socially Responsible Analytics Initiative, we partnered with the District of Columbia Public Schools to build a website that helps students and families find and access free meals and healthy food across the city.
Infographic: Nationally, foundations struggle to measure results
1 May 2018
Service

Supporting Philanthropy, Strengthening Impact

Foundations invest millions of dollars to carry out their missions and change the world. How do they know their investments are working? AIR uses the strongest research evidence and deep experience in systems change across multiple sectors to support foundations, large and small, in fulfilling their missions.
Project

Evaluation of San Francisco City Option Medical Reimbursement Account Program

The San Francisco City Option’s medical reimbursement account (MRA) program reimburses eligible expenses to make healthcare affordable for employees who live in and around San Francisco. AIR is evaluating the program in order to help the SF City Option program gain a better understanding of who participates, how to increase consumers’ awareness of their benefits, and how to help consumers access benefits.
24 Jan 2018
Journal Article

Malleability, Plasticity, and Individuality: How Children Learn and Develop in Context

Recent decades have witnessed an explosion of knowledge about how children develop into whole individuals, how they become learners, and how contextual factors nourish or hinder their development. This article shows how a developmental system theories approach provides a framework for viewing the effects of multiple factors within micro- and macro-environments on the shaping of how children learn, change, and grow throughout their development.
24 Jan 2018
Journal Article

Drivers of Human Development: How Relationships and Context Shape Learning and Development

This article uses a relational developmental systems framework, known as Development Systems Theories to synthesize knowledge on the role of relationships and key micro and macro contexts in supporting—or undermining—the development of children and youth. By using a variety of correlational, longitudinal, and causal studies; multiple sources were triangulated to reach the conclusions drawn.
Project

Changing the Trajectories of Children in Foster Care: The Safe Babies Court Team Evaluation

Children in foster care are at risk for poor developmental outcomes, including increased rates of poor health, higher rates of depression and anxiety, more attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorders, more problems in school, and increased rates of incarceration and suicide. The Safe Babies Court Team™, created by ZERO TO THREE, is an approach that aims to reduce the time a child spends in foster care before reaching a permanent, safe home, and to improve the long-term well-being of children and families in the child welfare system.
Project

Patient-Centered Measurement Pilot Projects

AIR developed the Principles for Making Health Care Measurement Patient-Centered to offer a vision of measurement that is patient-driven, holistic, transparent, comprehensible and timely, and co-created with patients. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AIR launched small-scale pilots to demonstrate how to implement the principles in real-world settings.
Project

Community Solutions to End the Opioid Epidemic in Tennessee

Although progress is being made, each day in Tennessee, at least three people die from an opioid-related overdose. AIR is working with the Tennessee Department of Health to convene summits across the state, for which it will review current opioid-related data, discuss the relevance and analysis of data, and develop preliminary plans to shape the strategic direction for intervention activities.
Project

Southwest Americans with Disabilities Act Center Research Collaboration

All people with cancer are eligible to apply for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services but many do not know it. In collaboration with AIR’s client the Southwest ADA Center, and researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, AIR staff are developing a protocol healthcare providers can use to screen patients for referral to disability-related programs and services.
Image of arrows showing 2018 new year
29 Dec 2017
Spotlight

Year in Review: Highlights from 2017

From India and Laos to school districts in California, our research, resources, and multimedia provide insight into a wide array of topics across the U.S. and around the world. Explore highlights from our 2017 work.
8 Nov 2017
Presentation

Provider Constellations and Its Implications for Readiness Assessment in Pay for Success

Implementation science literature on organizational readiness for delivering evidence-based programs has predominantly focused on single entity providers; however, Pay for Success projects tend to use more complex networks of providers. This presentation from the American Evaluation Association Conference explores the implications of different provider constellations for readiness assessment.
People embracing
3 Nov 2017
Spotlight

Reducing Gun Violence: What Can Be Done Now

Gun violence can leave people feeling helpless and searching for answers—but there are ways to help reduce and prevent it, including community engagement and youth initiatives. Explore AIR’s violence prevention resources to learn more.
Project

Opioid Misuse Prevention and Reduction Project - Middlesex County, MA

Last year alone, over 2,000 people in Massachusetts died from an opioid involved overdose. In partnership with the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, AIR developed a cross-system study to develop locally-relevant and research-informed strategies to reduce and prevent opioid misuse.
Project

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Quality Indicators

The AHRQ Quality Indicators (QIs) are standardized, evidence-based measures of healthcare quality that can be used with readily available hospital inpatient administrative data to measure and track clinical performance and outcomes. AIR provided outreach and dissemination support to educate hospitals, state hospital associations, and other stakeholders about the AHRQ QIs and QI software.
Project

Building the Science of Engagement

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) engages patients and other stakeholders in all phases of comparative clinical effectiveness research and patient-centered outcomes research. This qualitative study for PCORI—Research Portfolio Data Mining, Engagement Rubric Evaluation, and Adaption—seeks to understand whether engagement of patients and other stakeholders changes the course of PCORI-funded studies, and if so, how.
14 Sep 2017
Spotlight

Helping Trauma Survivors after a Natural Disaster

Natural disasters such as hurricanes often are not one-time, discrete events but rather, the start of ongoing traumatic stresses. Survivors face the loss of their homes, possessions, and even loved ones, while adapting to new routines and support systems, sometimes in unfamiliar environments. These resources describe how "trauma-informed" systems of care address emergencies and longer-term challenges.
8 Sep 2017
Presentation

Emerging Trends and Issues in Incorporating Pay for Success/Social Impact Bonds to Increase Collective Impact of Prevention Programming

The Pay for Success/Social Impact Bond (PFS/SIB) model is an innovative, multi-stakeholder partnership funding mechanism in which government and philanthropic organizations provide upfront funding for program implementation under the umbrella of pay-for-performance principles. This presentation from the 2017 European Society for Prevention Research Conference critically reviews how the model has the potential to increase the collective impact of prevention programming.
Project

Qualifying Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) for Assessing Fatigue

Building on work as the PROMIS Network Center, AIR is leading efforts to obtain Food and Drug Administration qualification of the PROMIS fatigue measure for use in clinical trials of therapy for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. AIR will collaborate with a patient co-investigator and the Bateman Horne Center for ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia to produce evidence related to the psychometric reliability and validity of the PROMIS fatigue measure for patients with ME/CFS.
Project

Research Fundamentals and Training for Multi-Stakeholder Research Teams

Engaging patients and other stakeholders to participate as partners in all phases of patient-centered outcomes research is new to many academic health researchers. AIR is developing two online learning programs to help stakeholders, researchers, and research teams build knowledge and skills.
Image of young adults conferring over a laptop
22 Aug 2017
Brief

Mental Health Needs of Children and Youth: The Benefits of Having Schools Assess Available Programs and Services

How are schools responding to the rise in the number of students needing services that promote positive mental health and provide early intervention and treatment? This brief explores how evaluation and assessment of a school’s mental health programming can benefit students, families, schools, and communities.
Project

Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+)

AIR led a world-class team of quality experts to measure patient experiences in the largest undertaking to date by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to transform primary care practice in America—the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) model. Through the CPC+ model, CMS is simultaneously testing service delivery and payment innovations with more than 3,000 primary care practices.
Image of Mona Kilany
20 Jul 2017
Video

Long Story Short: What Role Can Providers Play in Addressing the Prescription Opioid Epidemic?

Prescription drug misuse has reached epidemic proportions, with negative consequences for families and communities across the country. Mona Kilany explains how connecting prescribers with the proper tools and knowledge can help them address this significant public health issue in their practices.
17 Jul 2017
Spotlight

Placing Patients at the Center of Health Care

Longstanding debate about how to ensure and measure excellent healthcare abounds. Increasingly health professionals, insurers, researchers and, indeed, patients and families, are recognizing that health care is better when patients’ needs are placed at the center of the decision-making process. How can we capture patient voices in ways that can improve healthcare delivery, cost, and outcomes? How do we measure what matters to the person who becomes a patient when illness strikes?
14 Jul 2017
Service

Opioid Misuse, Overdose, and Death: A National Public Health Emergency

Increasing rates of opioid misuse, overdose, and death in America represent a complex public health emergency that merits widespread public and private resources and solutions. This brochure describes AIR's response to this public health crisis.
San Keller
21 Jun 2017
Video

Long Story Short: What is the Value of Patient-Reported Outcomes?

Patient-reported outcomes measure patients’ direct experiences of their health condition and health care. San Keller explains the value of such outcomes in promoting public health and improving the quality of health care.
16 Jun 2017
Service

Pay for Success/Social Impact Bonds

The Pay for Success (PFS) model, also known as the Social Impact Bonds model, is a relatively new way to finance improvements in persistent social problems. PFS brings together investors with local, state, and federal government agencies to fund and improve education, health, and social services. AIR is implementing this approach in many communities around the country.
Project

The Potential of Science of Learning and Development (SoLD) to Transform Education Systems

The Science of Learning and Development (SoLD) initiative began in 2016 with a shared commitment to a better and more equitable education for each and every child—and a hypothesis that a synthesis of the knowledge from multiple disciplines could provide critical insights and solutions to persistent and growing inequity and underperformance in the U.S. education system. An overarching goal of all SoLD partnerships, projects, and practices is to support the effective learning, educational attainment, and positive development of all children.
Project

Expanding Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Primary Care

Oklahoma is among the states hardest hit by a combination of national trends in nonmedical uses of opioid prescription drugs, past-year heroin use, and opioid-related mortality. AIR recently led and evaluated a project for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality—Increasing Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment Among Rural Providers—to train rural Oklahoma primary care clinicians to identify and treat patients with opioid use disorders using medication-assisted treatment, an evidence-based intervention that combines behavioral therapy and medication to treat substance use disorders.
10 Apr 2017
Report

Principles for Making Health Care Measurement Patient-Centered

Patient-centered measurement involves partnering with patients in a meaningful way to decide what we measure, how we measure it, and how we report and use the results of measurement. Principles for Making Health Care Measurement Patient-Centered offers a vision of measurement that is patient-driven, holistic, transparent, comprehensible and timely, and co-created with patients. These principles, and related examples, address a critical gap in measuring health care by placing patient preferences at the center.
Project

Readiness and Capacity-Building Toolkit for Pay for Success Investments

A major challenge in the growth of the Pay for Success model, which brings together investors with government agencies to fund and improve services in the community, is effective assessment of provider capacity. AIR is creating an organizational readiness toolkit, which is informed by a synthesis of the current literature on PFS and implementation science, as well as interviews with leading intermediary organizations and their community partners.
Video: Kathleen Murphy on Employees with Cancer
25 Jan 2017
Video

Protecting and Improving Outcomes for Employees with Cancer

Interventions and protections for employees with cancer have increased as their numbers in the workforce have grown. Kathleen Murphy talks about how employees with cancer can access different interventions and protections, such as those in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Boy and man holding hands
13 Jan 2017
Video

Family Engagement: Strengthening Family Involvement to Improve Outcomes for Children

Family engagement seeks better outcomes for children and families by actively involving them in the different systems that serve them. Lacy Wood and Rebecca Ornelas discuss how family engagement may improve both academic outcomes and mental health for children.
Project

Stronger, Smarter, Bolder: Girls Take the Lead

Girls and young women face a variety of obstacles to physical and socioeconomic well-being, inequity in educational opportunities, and tend to be discouraged from speaking up for themselves and others. AIR evaluated Girls Inc., founded in 1864, which provides comprehensive, research-based programs and activities for girls at sites across the United States.
1 Jan 2017
Report

Science of Learning and Development: A Synthesis

Human development can be influenced by a myriad of factors that include individual, biological, contextual, cultural, and historical factors. By synthesizing research across multiple disciples, it is possible to develop new approaches aimed at solving chronic learning and social problems experienced by children and youth.
Most Viewed Videos in 2016
30 Dec 2016
Spotlight

Most-Viewed Video 2016

Covering topics ranging from cash transfers in Africa to school discipline disparities to career and technical education, these were our most-viewed videos from 2016.
13 Dec 2016
Blog Post

Taking a Page from Education to Improve Healthcare

Education has borrowed many ideas from the medical field. Now a new initiative shows the exchange isn’t just a one-way street. Bookmarking, a widely-used method for establishing student proficiency levels in major education tests—such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress—is being adapted to healthcare so patients and their families can better communicate the severity of symptoms. In this blog post Michelle Langer and Ellen Schultz explain this innovative new approach.
1 Dec 2016
Brief

Community-Based Models for Aging in Place

The “graying of America” calls for new solutions to enable older Americans to age in place in their communities of choice. This issue brief reviews three community-based models—cohousing, villages, and livable communities—that are filling critical gaps in services directed at those who want to age in place.
1 Dec 2016
Brief

All Together Now: Integrating Health and Community Supports for Older Adults

With 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 each day, policy makers are facing the following critical questions about how to meet the requirements of an aging society. This brief is the first in a two-part series about policies and programs that provide resources and services for aging in place.
Medicare enrollment form
12 Oct 2016
Brief

Medicare Enrollment Maze Puts Older Americans at Risk for Financial Penalties and Coverage Gaps

The age when citizens can collect full Social Security retirement benefits is rising as people stay in the workforce longer, slowly fraying the enrollment link between Social Security and Medicare and increasing confusion. This brief addresses the problems that result and suggests solutions.
12 Oct 2016
Brief

Medicare Complexity Taxes Counseling Resources Available to Beneficiaries

As the next Medicare annual open enrollment period approaches, millions of Medicare beneficiaries must decide whether to change their coverage options. AIR researchers found that many beneficiaries are overwhelmed by Medicare’s complexity and could benefit from one-on-one counseling to help them make better choices.
Medicare enrollment form
6 Sep 2016
Brief

How Social Security and Medicare Reduce Inequality

Income inequality is substantial for people 65 and over, but less pronounced than it would be without Social Security and Medicare. A new brief offers a look at what the distribution of financial resources would be like in their absence, and addresses how proposed changes should be analyzed.
Project

Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns Evaluation

Babies born prematurely are a growing public health problem with significant consequences for families and an estimated cost to society of at least $26 billion each year. The Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns initiative tested and evaluated enhanced prenatal care interventions for women at risk for preterm birth. The goal was to improve quality of care and reduce rates of preterm birth and low-birthweight infants while reducing costs to Medicaid during pregnancy, birth and the infant’s first year.
Project

Principles for Making Healthcare Performance Measurement More Patient-Centered

"How would health care measurement look different if it reflected what patients say they need and want?" In September 2016, AIR hosted a two-day, in-person meeting devoted to answering this question, exploring ways to drive progress toward patient-centered measurement—health care measurement driven by patients’ expressed preferences, needs, and values that informs progress toward better health, better care, and lower costs.
Project

PCOR Translation Center

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Translation Center supports PCORI's commitment to making research findings comprehensible and useful to patients, clinicians, and others in making healthcare decisions. Drawing on AIR’s expertise in health communications, health literacy, dissemination, medicine, health services, public health, health disparities, and methods for comparative effectiveness research, the Center prepares summaries of peer-reviewed PCORI study findings.
1 Jul 2016
Journal Article

Developing a Federal Research Agenda for Positive Youth Development: Identifying Gaps in the Field and an Effective Consensus Building Approach

The field of positive youth development (PYD) is at an important crossroads in scope and future research directions. This paper describes an effective consensus building process that representatives from 16 federal agencies used to develop a PYD product and research agenda.

6 Jun 2016
Brief

Measures of Medicare's Finances Reconsidered: Introduction to the Series

The debate over Medicare’s future takes many forms. At its most basic, the issue is whether we can (or want to) afford Medicare. This series of issue briefs addresses key questions concerning the future of Medicare and how that will affect taxpayers and beneficiaries over time.
6 Jun 2016
Commentary

Is Medicare Really Unaffordable?

Each year when Medicare’s Trustees report comes out, as it will soon, pundits and politicians fixate on the projection of when Medicare funding will be eclipsed by Medicare spending. But, Marilyn Moon asks, don’t we also need to know who pays for Medicare? What the taxpayer burden is and how much program participants pay? Whether we can afford Medicare as the U.S. population ages?
Project

Center on Aging

The Center on Aging addresses the many research and policy issues that arise in this context, using a broad brush that spans AIR’s subject areas and methodological reach. The Center serves AIR’s mission of improving the lives of the disadvantaged by bringing attention to aging issues and concerns, building on work already underway at AIR and also supporting projects on important emerging issues that may not yet be on the nation's policy agenda.
Kathleen Guarino
2 May 2016
Video

Long Story Short: How Can Organizations Measure Trauma-Informed Care to Promote Healing?

Trauma disproportionately affects people involved with social service organizations like homeless shelters and mental health centers. In this video interview, Kathleen Guarino discusses how such organizations can measure their level of trauma-informed care and promote healing among trauma survivors.
Group of professionals deliberating
5 Apr 2016
Journal Article

Understanding an Informed Public’s Views on the Role of Evidence in Making Health Care Decisions

Deliberating the pros and cons of medical evidence to govern treatment decisions decreases the public’s willingness to rely solely on patient choices, especially when those choices can harm the individual or the larger community.
Ken Martinez
25 Mar 2016
Video

Long Story Short: How Can Schools Reduce Disparities in Disciplinary Action and Promote Student Mental Health?

In this video interview, Ken Martinez discusses steps schools can take to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in school discipline and increase access to mental health services for students who struggle after being expelled or suspended.
14 Mar 2016
Toolkit

Trauma-Informed Care Curriculum

Organizational trauma-informed care is an agency-wide approach to service delivery that is grounded in an understanding of trauma and its consequences and promotes healing and resilience. AIR's Trauma-Informed Care Curriculum supports organizations in embedding trauma-informed practices into all aspects of organizational operation and culture.
10 Mar 2016
Journal Article

Enhancing Prevention through Technical Assistance: What a Research Synthesis Tells Us

Behavioral health problems are widely known to affect one in five people in the Unites States, with 75% of lifetime cases of mental illness beginning by age 24.

24 Feb 2016
Service

Precision Communication Model

There is a growing need to understand how technology can indicate or predict health-related behavior. The AIR Prevision Communication Model provides a framework of how to use communication outlets to better understand health behaviors.
22 Feb 2016
Report

Payment and Delivery System Reform in Medicare: A Primer on Medical Homes, Accountable Care Organizations, and Bundled Payments

To address concerns about rising health care costs, quality of care, and inefficient spending, policymakers and health care providers have called for “delivery system reform”—changes in the way health care is provided and paid for in the United States.

17 Feb 2016
Commentary

What Is Fidelity in Evaluation Research Anyway?

In this commentary (part of our longform essay, Applying Social Science in the Real World), Steven Garfinkel contends that fidelity has become a challenging concept, particularly in evaluating health care insurance and delivery system interventions, and discusses how this can be addressed.
Building blocks
17 Feb 2016
Spotlight

Applying Social Science in the Real World

Informing practice with the best research and making research more relevant to practice are easier said than done. Making a tangible difference in people’s lives is harder still. In this series of short commentaries, AIR experts reflect on ways to meet the challenge.
10 Feb 2016
Toolkit

Triple Aim Measurement Toolkit for Health Centers

What can community health centers do to demonstrate value to stakeholders—such as payers, providers, and patients—in a changing payment landscape? The Triple Aim Measurement Toolkit helps health centers measure and analyze health outcomes, patient experience, and cost together
TIC Framework thumbnail
20 Jan 2016
Toolkit

Framework for Building Trauma-Informed Organizations and Systems

Organizational trauma-informed care is a systemic approach to service delivery that is grounded in an understanding of the causes and consequences of trauma and promotes resilience and healing. The Framework for Building Trauma-Informed Organizations and Systems offers a process and tools for adopting trauma-informed care in social service settings.
TIC scale thumbnail
20 Jan 2016
Toolkit

Trauma-Informed Organizational Capacity Scale

Trauma-informed organizations ensure that mission, culture, and practice are aligned to recognize and support trauma-survivors. The Trauma-Informed Organizational Capacity Scale is the first psychometrically validated instrument to gauge the extent to which health and human service organizations provide trauma-informed care.
15 Jan 2016
Service

Trauma-Informed Care in Service Systems

Organizational trauma-informed care is a systemic approach to service delivery that is grounded in an understanding of the causes and consequences of trauma and promotes resilience and healing.

Project

CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention Issues

Never before has such a wealth of evidence-based HIV prevention methods been available. In this complex and dynamic phase of the nation’s fight against HIV/AIDS, strong partner communications, relationships, and collaboration are critical to the CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention’s success.
Project

HIV Prevention and Linkage to Care Services for Transgender Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations

Many cultural, socioeconomic, and health-related factors contribute to the HIV epidemic and prevention challenges in U.S. transgender communities. As part of the Act Against AIDS Initiative, AIR works with the CDC to adapt existing and develop new HIV prevention and communication materials for healthcare providers and community-based organizations that treat transgender populations.
Project

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and National Information Clearinghouses Support

AIR works with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to translate research into evidence-based messages and disseminate information.
Karen Francis
18 Dec 2015
Video

Long Story Short: How Can We Improve Outcomes for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System?

Over the past two decades, the number of young women entering the juvenile justice system has steadily increased. In this video interview, Karen Francis, AIR principal researcher, talks about how the juvenile justice system can best respond to girls’ unique needs and experiences.
Project

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Outreach

Exposure to toxic substances pose a serious health risk for Americans. AIR collaborated with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to develop a strategic plan and to create a risk communication training course to prepare health communication specialists for managing risk communication activities in the field.
Project

Strategic Communications for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention

The media plays a significant role in shaping how Americans perceive, understand, and respond to serious public health challenges. AIR works with the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention’s news media team on nearly every major development concerning these diseases.
Project

Social Media Support for VetoViolence

Violence is a significant public health problem in the United States and around the world, affecting people from all walks of life. AIR supports the social media presence of the CDC project VetoViolence, which aims to stop violence before it starts.
Stressed woman
1 Dec 2015
Commentary

Rising Death Rates Bring New Meaning to Mid-Life Crisis for Americans—Especially White Women

A recent high-profile study of sharply rising mortality rates for some Americans brought to light the hazards of chronic stress. Principal researcher Kathryn Paez explores why the health of middle-aged white women in particular is suffering.
19 Nov 2015
Commentary

Toilet Use in Developing World Not a Simple Decision

The case for using toilets—less fecal pollution leads to better health—might seem self-evident, but 2.5 billion (according to United Nation’s estimates) of the world’s poorest still don’t have them. And it’s harder to press that case than might be imagined. After all, the causal link between fecal contamination and human health is a scientific fact while the decision to buy or use a toilet is governed more by such variables as cost, tradition, and culture than by science. When it comes to behavior change, effective outcomes depend wholly on recipients’ decision-making—a process that’s rarely understood, much less taken into account in project design.
Project

Anti-Human Trafficking Public Awareness Integrated Marketing Services (AIMS)

Disadvantaged populations are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking. AIR helps support the distribution of free materials that raise public awareness around human trafficking and connect victims to emergency services.
Project

Improving Consumer Engagement with the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange

Many lower-income New Mexicans eligible for subsidies—especially racial/ethnic minorities and those living in rural areas—didn’t initially sign up for coverage when it was offered in 2014. AIR and its research partner assessed why and recommended how New Mexico could tailor outreach and support increased enrollment.
30 Sep 2015
Report

Consumer Usability Testing in Five State-Based Marketplaces: Key Challenges and Best Practice Recommendations

Since January 1, 2014, consumers and small businesses have had access to new health insurance Marketplaces (or Exchanges). Consumers in every state and the District of Columbia are able to buy qualified health plans available through their state’s Marketplace. This report describes the results of AIR consumer website usability testing, which focused on how consumers navigate and understand key functions of the Marketplace websites in five states.
Project

Building the Medical Information Commons: Participant Engagement and Policy

Many public and private initiatives are underway to collect and share genomic, personal, and medical data on a massive scale for research and clinical use. Through a National Human Genome Research Institute project, AIR supported the Baylor College of Medicine in using deliberative methods to obtain informed public input on the values, rights, and interests of individuals whose data may populate the information commons.
Project

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Prescriber Education Campaign

Prescription drug misuse—defined as the use of a medication in a way that is not prescribed, without a prescription, or for non-medical purposes—is a significant public health concern. AIR is evaluating the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids' Prescriber Education Campaign, focusing on its effectiveness in increasing physicians’ use of prescription drug monitoring programs and awareness of tools and resources to prevent prescription drug misuse.
7 Aug 2015
Toolkit

Tool to Improve Health Insurance Marketplace Consumer Experiences

How can the Health Insurance Marketplaces improve consumers’ experiences when shopping for, selecting, and enrolling in affordable health plans during future open-enrollment periods? To help answer this question, AIR developed the Marketplace Survey Improvement Guide. The Guide provides seven evidence-based strategies that will help Marketplaces improve the consumer experience by giving consumers accurate and relevant information in a timely manner and helping consumers understand and use that information.
30 Jul 2015
Toolkit

Living Well Toolkit: Promoting Preventive Services

A new collection of outreach and educational materials for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services called Living Well is available to help Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program beneficiaries understand their preventive benefits. AIR and partners Weber Shandwick and Urban Institute developed the kit to help state and local agencies, health clinics, and other partners with their outreach to these beneficiaries in a variety of clinical and community settings.
17 Jul 2015
Video

Long Story Short: What Can Help Deter Unnecessary Antibiotic Use in Nursing Homes?

Antibiotics can effectively treat common infections when used properly, but are often unnecessarily used on nursing home residents. Elizabeth Frentzel, AIR principal research scientist, describes the negative outcomes of inappropriately prescribing antibiotics and explains what can be done to better use antibiotics in nursing homes.
Medicare enrollment form
17 Jun 2015
Commentary

Improving Medicare Financing: Are We Up to the Challenge?

Medicare is nearly always a target of federal budget-cutting efforts. AIR Institute Fellow Marilyn Moon says we need a thoughtful debate about how to pay for healthcare for older adults and people with disabilities into the future. Her analysis addresses past and future changes to the program and revenue options.
George Rebok
10 Jun 2015
Video

Long Story Short: How Effective is Cognitive Training?

Older adults have become increasingly interested in cognitive training as a way to slow down or even reverse cognitive decline. In this video interview, George Rebok, AIR Institute Fellow, examines how effective cognitive training is and what people can do to prevent mental decline as they age.
Project

Knowledge Translation for Employment Research Center (KTER)

Until 2020, AIR operated the Knowledge Translation for Employment Research Center (KTER), which developed and tested knowledge translation strategies designed to help vocational rehabilitation agencies and businesses find, understand, and use research related to employing people with disabilities. The KTER Center provided technical assistance and training to grantees to plan and engage in knowledge translation activities.
Project

Runaway and Homeless Youth Management Information Systems (RHY-HMIS)

An estimated 4.2 million American adolescents and young adults aged 13 to 25 experienced some form of homelessness in the previous year. Collecting high-quality data about the services provided to young people is an important step in finding solutions to homelessness. AIR, under contract to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, developed, launched, and maintained the Runaway and Homeless Youth Homeless Management Information System.
15 May 2015
Journal Article

Effectiveness of Public Deliberation Methods for Gathering Input on Issues in Healthcare: Results from a Randomized Trial

The U.S. health care system’s complexity, coupled with the emotional and personal nature of serious illness or injury, often makes it difficult for policymakers to obtain informed public views to help guide decisions on complicated health care issues. This study found that public deliberation, which encourages people to become informed about a topic and consider alternative perspectives, shifted participants' attitudes about the importance of medical evidence in treatment decisions.
12 May 2015
Video

How Mental Health Care Can Best Serve Children and Adolescents

Many children and adolescents who experience mental health issues do not receive the care they need. In this video, Galen Cole, AIR principal researcher, explains how the mental health care system can better serve children, adolescents, and their families and ensure they receive the treatment they need.
6 May 2015
Journal Article

The Legal High: Factors Affecting Young Consumers’ Risk Perceptions and Abuse of Prescription Drugs

A recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicates that nearly one-third of people aged 12 years and older who used drugs illegally for the first time began by using a prescription drug for a nonmedical purpose.

group deliberating
8 Apr 2015
Brief

Public Deliberation: Bringing Common Sense to Complex Health Policy Issues

New research indicates it is an effective way to gather informed public views on complex health policy and to help guide policy decisions. This fact sheet provides an overview of public deliberation—convening a diverse group of citizens to consider an ethical or values-based dilemma and weigh alternative views—and what evidence says about its effectiveness.
Birthday cake
6 Apr 2015
Commentary

Happy Birthday Medicare and the Affordable Care Act?

This is an anniversary year for both Medicare and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Medicare was passed 50 years ago in 1965 and the ACA was passed five years ago. These anniversaries bid us to consider lessons that can improve our healthcare system instead of accepting the benign neglect implicit in much of public discourse on health.
Project

Public Quality and Cost Reporting on California Health Plans and Medical Groups

California's Health Care Quality Report Cards are designed to help inform and educate consumers about their rights and responsibilities as health plan enrollees and to educate them about how to use services offered by their health plans. AIR assists the National Committee on Quality Assurance in supporting the California Office of the Patient Advocate in publicly reporting clinical performance and patient experience data for the state's largest health plans and more than 200 medical groups.
28 Mar 2015
Commentary

Preparing for Health Crises or Other Emergencies Isn’t Someone Else’s Job

In a New York Times op-ed, Bill Gates writes passionately about the lack of an effective international system to contain and defeat a future pandemic. He urges the United Nations to create a new organization responsible for worldwide planning and coordinated response. AIR researchers Julia Galdo and Alicia Eberl-Lefko contend the responsibility for preparing belongs to all of us.
two surgeons working on a patient
5 Mar 2015
Spotlight

First Do No Harm: Patient Safety Awareness

Public awareness of patient safety issues – from surgical errors to miscommunications and misdiagnoses – has grown dramatically. The greatest advances in safety encourage patient engagement, systems improvement, more effective communication and better risk assessment.
Project

Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health

Since the first Surgeon General’s Report was released in 1964, scientific evidence on smoking and disease has expanded, linking exposure to tobacco smoke with an ever-increasing number of diseases and adverse health consequences. AIR continues to assist the CDC in the production of the report.
Project

Preventing Homelessness in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth

Research reveals that experiencing marginalization, physical or verbal threats, discrimination, and trauma can undermine physical, social, emotional, and mental health. This can be particularly true for LGBTQ youth. AIR is supporting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the True Colors Fund on a first-of-its-kind project: The LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Prevention Initiative. Its aim is to identify successful strategies to ensure that no young person is left without a home because of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.
Project

Understanding Sickle Cell Patients’ Health-Related Quality of Life

An estimated 90,000 Americans have sickle cell disease (SCD), and increased infant screening, improved disease management throughout childhood, and better therapies have all led to much longer lives for people with this rare blood disorder. With funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, AIR led a team of researchers to develop an Sickle Cell Disease Patient-Reported Outcome measurement system called ASCQ-Me that would help to bridge the gaps in understanding about adult patients’ experiences and long-term needs.
Project

Studying Lean Implementation in Different Healthcare Settings

The mandate to create efficiency and lower the costs of healthcare has led many hospital and healthcare system leaders to search for new and unique management strategies, often from other industries. AIR helped fill the gaps in knowledge about how a healthcare organization’s environment, structure, and culture may inhibit or enhance successful diffusion and integration of Lean training, tools, and activities.
Older people in a classroom
30 Jan 2015
Brief

Is 65 the Best Cutoff for Defining “Older Americans?”

Do the issues that define “old age” really begin at 65? Although Americans are living longer, other changes in health status and workforce behavior could be used to argue that age 65 is too late to begin to worry about the challenges of an aging population.
22 Jan 2015
Journal Article

Trauma-Informed Care: An Ecological Response

Trauma-informed care represents an emerging shift in paradigm and practice. This article, originally published in the Journal of Child and Youth Care Work, provides a comprehensive review of trauma-informed care—its evolution, current models and practice, and evidence base.
1 Dec 2014
Report

Zambia’s Child Grant Program: 36-Month Impact Report

A cash grant program for households with children under five in three districts in Zambia generated positive impacts, both in terms of immediate needs of the family and children's health, and in longer term productivity. This third report builds upon the results of the 24- and 30-month reports.
18 Nov 2014
Brief

Cognitive Training for Older Adults: What Is It and Does It Work?

Older adults are more likely to fear losing their mental abilities than their physical abilities. But a growing body of research suggests that, for most people, mental decline isn’t inevitable and may even be reversible. It is now becoming clear that cognitive health and dementia prevention must be lifelong pursuits, and the new approaches springing from a better understanding of the risk factors for cognitive impairment are far more promising than current drug therapies. This brief analyzes the evidence.
14 Nov 2014
Commentary

In the Months Ahead, the Real Threat to Your Health is the Flu

Why are so many Americans more concerned about Ebola than flu, when the data doesn't support that fear? Researchers have found that unfamiliar, epidemic diseases (such as Ebola) are more likely to cause concern than familiar, endemic diseases, such as the flu. Add the high death rate of Ebola overseas and the prospect of being isolated in a hospital and treated by medical personnel in biohazard suits, and it’s only natural that people fear Ebola, even if the chance of contracting the disease is extremely small.
20 Oct 2014
Brief

Is Expanding Public-Financed Home Care Cost-Effective?

As American Baby Boomers retire and age, questions about how to deliver long-term care efficiently and control health care costs grow more important with each projected increase in health care needs. This brief examines recent research on both costs and outcomes, exposes fault lines in previous approaches to assessing consumer preferences in long-term care, and provides new evidence on the cost-effectiveness of current long-term care policy.
still image from whiteboard animation on senior's financial security
6 Oct 2014
Video

AIR Whiteboard: How Financially Well-Off Are America's Seniors?

After years of talking about America’s seniors as disproportionately poor, some commentators now characterize older Americans as better off than their younger counterparts. But many still live just above the poverty line, struggling to get by on dwindling savings while paying increasingly higher medical costs. This AIR Whiteboard, narrated by Center on Aging director Marilyn Moon, presents an overview of the economic challenges seniors face today.
Project

HIV Treatment Works: Encouraging People Living With HIV to Get in Care, Stay in Care, Live Well

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only approximately one in four people living with HIV currently has the virus under control. HIV Treatment Works, a national communication campaign, encourages people living with HIV to get in care, start taking HIV medications, remain in care, and adhere to treatment.
Project

Measuring Health Insurance Literacy

Health insurance coverage is key to accessing affordable, high-quality care. But do most Americans have the knowledge and skill they need to navigate or get the most out of their insurance plans? To answer this question, AIR researchers developed The Health Insurance Literacy Measure©, which consists of 21 self-report questions assessing self-confidence and behaviors associated with choosing and using health insurance.
Project

Testing Evalue8 Measures for Consumers

By 2016, consumers shopping on the online Health Insurance Marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act will have the opportunity to compare health plans using information from the Quality Reporting System. Although it is currently undergoing development, there is considerable debate as to what measures consumers would find most useful when comparing and selecting health plans. AIR is evaluating these measures to see how well they meet consumers' needs.
Shadows
25 Sep 2014
Commentary

The Really Long Shadow—Studying the Lifelong Impacts of Early Life Experience

Learning more about the lifelong shadow of early life experiences is a challenge that can’t be met without longitudinal data. AIR and the University of Southern California are mining Project Talent's data to identify risk and protective factors for differential outcomes at older ages, to learn about the life trajectories of the baby-boom generation, and to align public policy and programs with research evidence and real-world opportunities and needs.
16 Sep 2014
Video

Long Story Short: Is 65 Still a Good Policy Benchmark for Aging?

Sixty-five has long been a benchmark age for public programs such as Social Security and Medicare, but many experts question whether it should be changed for today's aging society. In this video interview, Marilyn Moon, AIR Institute Fellow and director of AIR's Center on Aging, explains whether 65 is still a good milestone for aging, health, and retirement.
2 Sep 2014
Video

Long Story Short: What Is the Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Newly Insured Patients?

The Affordable Care Act created health insurance exchanges or marketplaces to offer consumers affordable healthcare coverage through subsidies. In this video interview, Brandy Farrar, AIR researcher, explains what Californian consumers think about their experiences with Covered California, their state's health insurance marketplace.
Project

Longitudinal Evaluation of Women for Women International-Nigeria’s Men’s Engagement Program

With limited access to health services and education, patriarchal norms, and mounting violence, Nigerian women struggle to gain economic opportunities and equality. AIR evaluated a men's engagement program which includes training for men on issues such as the value of girls and women and violence against women.
Project

Innovative Patient Engagement Strategies

Engaging people as partners in their care and decision making can increase the likelihood that they will follow through on actions critical to attaining positive health outcomes. AIR conducted site visits to several accountable care organizations and primary care settings around the country to observe provider strategies to increase patient involvement and engagement.
1 Sep 2014
Report

Applying Medicaid Flexibility to Meet Behavioral Health Needs of Young People

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that 13–20% of children living in the U.S. experience a mental disorder in a given year. The prevalence of these conditions is on the rise, and in the wake of recent tragedies, addressing the behavioral health needs of young people is an especially critical priority. This report examines states’ efforts to improve behavioral health care and outcomes for young people, and in cost-effective ways.
Project

Roadmap Guides Patient and Family Engagement in Healthcare

Growing evidence shows that patient and family engagement plays a central role in improving health outcomes while also improving the patient experience of care and reducing costs. The Roadmap for Patient and Family Engagement in Healthcare Practice and Research includes specific actions that can be taken to partner with patients and their families to improve how care is delivered.
Project

We Can Stop HIV One Conversation at a Time: Talking Openly About HIV in Hispanic and Latino Communities

Research has found that talking about HIV and AIDS is associated with increased condom use, testing, and knowledge about prevention—all of which are associated with fewer new infections. We Can Stop HIV One Conversation at a Time/Podemos Detener el VIH Una Conversación a la Vez encourages Hispanics and Latinos to talk openly about HIV with families, friends, partners, and communities.
11 Aug 2014
Brief

Brief Series: Funding Strategies to Build Sustainable School Mental Health Programs

A series of issue briefs developed by AIR staff and partners for the Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health offers answers to key questions regarding sustainable school mental health programs that serve children and youth with serious mental health needs.
Project

Impact Evaluation of BRAC’s Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Program

Malnutrition is one of the most serious global health problems. Advancing the knowledge base about the effects of nutrition and early childhood development programs on nutrition outcomes is particularly important in Bangladesh. AIR is evaluating a large-scale nutrition program and a pilot program to combat malnutrition in the country.
Project

Understanding Barriers to Testing for Women with Gestational Diabetes

Nearly 10 percent of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes, and up to 30 percent of those will develop Type 2 diabetes as they age. Yet many of these women do not check their blood glucose levels as often as they should. AIR researchers studied why women at high risk avoid testing.
5 Jun 2014
Commentary

An Open Letter to the New HHS Secretary: Medicare Challenges

Medicare expert and Institute Fellow Marilyn Moon offers her thoughts on program reforms and urges new HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell to defend beneficiaries against unintended harm: “never forget that Medicare is a program for the elderly and disabled.”
Project

Addressing Unnecessary Antibiotic Use in Nursing Homes

High rates of antibiotic use have been linked to the growth of healthcare associated infections as well as multi-drug resistant organisms—both of which can be life threatening to elderly patients. Along with a team of experts in nursing home care and antibiotic stewardship, AIR developed a guide that will provide nursing homes with a set of easy to use tools to implement antimicrobial stewardship practices.
30 May 2014
Video

Employment After Burn Injury

Consequences of major burn injuries often include losing the ability to engage in basic life functions such as work or employment.

Older couple walking
6 May 2014
Brief

The Changing Economic Status of Seniors

Recently, attention has focused on who is prospering in the challenging economic times the U.S. has faced in this early part of the 21st century. Are seniors faring better than younger families? AIR expert Marilyn Moon discusses the issue.
adult and child holding hands
5 May 2014
Brief

The Role of System of Care Communities in Developing and Sustaining School Mental Health Services

In honor of National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day and National Mental Health Awareness Month, AIR highlights the role schools and communities can play through systems of care to develop supports and services for children and youth with or at risk of mental health or other behavioral challenges.
Project

Start Talking. Stop HIV. A Campaign to Promote HIV Prevention Among Gay and Bisexual Men

A CDC study found that more than one-third of men surveyed did not know the HIV status of their most recent male sex partner. Start Talking. Stop HIV., a national campaign launched to promote HIV prevention among gay and bisexual men, uses practical tools and tips to broach sensitive but critical topics:
Project

Addressing Mental Health Disparities

Social and economic factors have an influence on health and mental health. The stresses of living in poverty and of social exclusion due to race or sexual orientation have negative health results. Disparities in health status are large, persistent, and increasing—especially for populations of color. AIR is partnering with the Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center at Morehouse School of Medicine to prepare and disseminate research findings on mental health disparities.
Project

Addressing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Veterans: Learning What Works

An estimated 500,000 veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will return home with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD—a debilitating illness that is often marked with anger, depression, physical pain, disturbed sleep, social isolation, and thoughts of suicide. In response, AMVETS has created the Warrior Transition Workshop, conducted over a two- to five-day period. It is confidential, and is structured in a training style familiar to military personnel with a hands-on, peer-to-peer approach that includes a well-crafted blend of military history, legend, and ritual.
21 Mar 2014
Commentary

"Between Two Ferns" Had It Right

AIR's Julia Galdo explains how to use effective messaging to encourage Latinos to enroll in the Affordable Care Act.
Project

Measuring Attitudes about Patient-Centered Comparative Effectiveness Research

AIR developed and conducted three national surveys of patients and caregivers, clinicians, and researchers for the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute to assess stakeholder awareness and interest in engaging in patient-centered comparative effectiveness research. The goal is to improve informed decision-making by answering questions that matter most to patients and clinicians.
Project

Aligning Cancer Care with Patient Values

Providers seek to incorporate patient perspectives into the design of care, but what is it that patients value in their care and can this be reliably measured? The Consumer Cancer Care Value Index, developed with funding from the National Patient Advocate Foundation, uses an innovative method to assess the alignment between what patients want in their cancer care and what they get.
Surgeon General 50 Yrs of Progress logo
17 Jan 2014
Report

AIR a Key Partner in the 2014 Surgeon General's Report on Smoking & Health

The latest Surgeon General’s Report, “The Health Consequences of Smoking – 50 Years of Progress,” marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark reports warning about the health hazards of smoking. Fifty years, 20 million American deaths, and 32 Surgeon General Reports later, smoking has retained its decades-old spot as the largest single cause of preventable death and disease for U.S. citizens.
8 Oct 2013
Guide

Blueprint for Using Data to Reduce Disparities/Disproportionalities in Human Services and Behavioral Health Care

Disparities and disproportionalities in human services and behavioral health care—such as lack of access to prevention and treatment services—can threaten child, youth, and family development and well-being, as well as performance in school and on the job. This Blueprint enables communities and states to develop and implement data-driven strategies through a step-by-step process.

Project

The Revolving Door: U.S. Hospital Readmissions by Diagnosis and Procedure

Each year, Medicare alone spends an estimated $17 billion or more on unplanned hospital readmissions. The Healthcare Cost & Utilization Project's new national estimates on readmissions by diagnosis and procedure are the most comprehensive to date and show the extent of the problem.
Mandy David
5 Jun 2013
Video

A Voice for Sickle Cell Disease

In this video, Mandy David, a certified physician assistant and senior communications specialist at AIR, talks about issues that adult sickle cell patients face as she evaluates and treats them at the Johns Hopkins Sickle Cell Center for Adults.
Project

Death Panels

AIR presented a study at the 2011 National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media, describing how the 2009 "death panel" discussion influenced public attitudes and perceptions of health care reform as reflected in polling data.
Project

Injury Prevention

In 2011 and 2012, AIR conducted a series of media and stakeholder analyses of prescription drug overdose, misuse, and abuse for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Project

Health Disparities Program

AIR examined the feasibility of conducting an outcomes evaluation for the National Institute of Nursing Research Health Disparities Program, an effort that supports research to reduce and eliminate health disparities in disadvantaged populations.
Project

Outreach and Support for the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

AIR delivers communication and outreach support to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, conducting audience research, developing messages and materials, devising partnership and outreach plans, and providing warehousing and distribution services.

Project

National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - Communications Support

For nearly ten years, AIR has supported the Office of Communications and Government Relations at the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the strategy and tactics of translating, tailoring and disseminating research findings and funding opportunities to a diverse audience of researchers, policy makers, clinicians, providers and caregivers.

Project

Supporting Providers in Testing and Linking African American and Hispanic/Latino Patients to Care

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention worked with AIR to develop a new campaign, with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Minority AIDS Initiative, to provide health care providers with information and tools to implement HIV screening for minority patients and improve health outcomes for HIV-positive patients by increasing their access to HIV primary care.

Project

Graduate Nurse Education (GNE) Demonstration

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) provide critical access to primary care across the country, especially in underserved areas. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services encouraged five hospitals to partner with schools of nursing and provided reimbursement for the reasonable cost of providing clinical training to APRN students added as a result of the demonstration. AIR evaluated the effectiveness of the demonstration in providing clinical training in community-based settings.
Project

Let’s Stop HIV Together: Real People Living with HIV

AIR has supported CDC's Act Against AIDS campaign to raise awareness and combat complacency since before its White House launch in 2009. In 2012, AIR worked with CDC to develop a new national awareness and anti-stigma campaign, Let's Stop HIV Together.

Project

Public Health Emergency Preparedness Campaign

To raise awareness and provide a source of accurate information for the media and first responders about public health emergencies, AIR worked with the Office of the Secretary of HHS to develop and disseminate a series of award-winning, easy to understand reference guides.

Project

Take the Lead: Raising Awareness of Pandemic Flu

AIR supported CDC’s Take the Lead: Working Together to Prepare Now campaign, designed to mobilize local leaders—such as health care providers, employers, and faith-based and civic leaders—to raise awareness of pandemic flu and encourage the community to prepare and respond to flu outbreaks.

Project

Prime Time Sister Circles Evaluation

AIR is evaluating Prime Time Sister Circles®, a program designed to help mid-life African-American women take control of their health by improving health habits, monitoring and managing key health indicators (hypertension and weight), reducing stress, increasing physical activity, and improving n

29 May 2013
Guide

Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Manual

AIR partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to write, design, and publish the first comprehensive government manual on best practices in crisis and emergency risk communication.
29 May 2013
Website

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - Health Topics Website

AIR has worked closely with the National Institutes of Health to provide lay audiences with science-based, plain-language information related to heart, lung and blood diseases and conditions and sleep disorders.

29 May 2013
Toolkit

Innovations Scorekeeper Tool

AIR and the Blue Shield of California Foundation are developing an “Innovations Scorekeeper” tool to help the foundation and its community clinic grantees in California measure progress toward improving patient care, population health and cost of care.

Project

Qualified Health Plan Enrollee Survey

Patients' experiences of their own health care are essential indicators in improving quality and reducing costs. To capture valid and reliable measures of patient experience, AIR designed and conducted a study to design the consumer experience survey used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to assess and report on the performance of the Health Insurance Marketplaces and qualified health plans (QHPs) authorized by the Affordable Care Act.
Project

Evaluation of the Maryland Quality-Based Reimbursement System

With Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funding, AIR is working with the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission to evaluate the effects of the State of Maryland's modified payment structure for acute inpatient stays at non-federal hospitals.

Project

Sickle Cell Guidelines

AIR is working alongside the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to develop, implement, and evaluate the National Blood Disorders Program (NBDP). The NBDP’s initial focus is on sickle cell disease and the release of the first evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage the condition.

Project

Care Coordination Measure Development

Care coordination involves deliberately organizing patient care activities and sharing information among all of the participants concerned with a patient's care to achieve safer and more effective care. For the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, AIR developed, tested, and validated the Care Coordination Quality Measure for Primary Care (CCQM-PC), a survey-based assessment of the quality of care coordination for adults in primary care settings.
Project

Community Forum Deliberative Methods Demonstration

Growing evidence indicates that informing and engaging the public—both as patients and as citizens—can help achieve better care, better health, and lower costs. AIR research, conducted as part of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Deliberative Methods Demonstration, found that public deliberation is an effective way to gather informed public views on complex health policy issues, such as the role of medical evidence in treatment decisions.
Project

The Community Health Worker Health Disparities Initiative Program

AIR’s evaluation of two National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) community-based initiatives will contribute to improved service delivery and a better understanding of the effectiveness of community-based programs for health promotion.

Project

State Health Insurance Assistance Programs National Performance Report

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) provides free, in-depth, one-on-one insurance counseling and assistance annually to about 3 million Medicare beneficiaries, their families, friends, and caregivers. AIR developed and maintained the SHIP National Performance Report program from 2007 to 2014 to provide continuous monitoring by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and periodic reports to Congress and other stakeholders on SHIP performance and outcomes.
4 Mar 2013
Website

AIR and CDC Launch Spanish-language HIV Awareness Campaign, Detengamos juntos el VIH™

In 2009, Latinos accounted for 20 percent of new HIV infections while representing about 16 percent of the total U.S. population. Detengamos juntos el VIH™, the Spanish version of the previously launched Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign, comes with new campaign materials targeting Hispanics between 18 and 44, including people living with HIV/AIDs, and friends and family of those affected by HIV and other stakeholders.

Project

Technical Support for Opioid Treatment Program Certification

The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—is a national crisis. Between 2003 and 2018, AIR supported the information management and data analytic needs of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration related to certification of opioid treatment programs.
Project

Healing Hearts, Promoting Health

Healing Hearts, Promoting Health (HHPH) is an intensive pilot project that addresses the trauma and related nutrition, health, and wellness issues of recently displaced families and children, with particular focus on Haitian earthquake evacuees in Southern Florida.
22 Jan 2013
Video

Health Insurance Exchanges: Challenges and Opportunities

In this video interview, Jill Yegian, co-director of AIR’s Health Policy and Research Group, talks about the challenges and opportunities in creating health insurance exchanges, virtual marketplaces where consumers and small business can comparison shop for affordable health insurance.
4 Jan 2013
Commentary

Health Insurance Exchanges: The Year Ahead

The New Year will be critical for one of the health care reform law’s most significant provisions: the creation of health insurance exchanges. These new virtual marketplaces allow consumers and small business to comparison shop for health insurance, increasing coordination and simplifying access to affordable health insurance.

Project

Trauma-Informed Care for Organizations Serving Homeless Female Veterans

Research shows that traumatic experiences prior to and during military service can have a significant impact on the health and well-being of women Veterans, increasing their risk for homelessness. Traumatic experiences can also affect ability to maintain health and sustain employment. With advances in awareness of the prevalence and impact of trauma in the lives of women Veterans, trauma-informed care is now seen as a best practice to support recovery.
23 Nov 2012
Report

Giving Voice to the Vulnerable: The Development of a CAHPS Nursing Home Survey Measuring Family Member Experiences

This survey was developed to measure family member experiences of nursing home care, the results of which will contribute to the understanding of quality of care in nursing homes. Unlike other CAHPS surveys, the CAHPS nursing home family member survey was developed to solicit information from respondents who do not directly receive care.
21 Sep 2012
Video

Marilyn Moon Demystifies Medicare Reform

Medicare reform is a center-stage issue in the presidential campaign. In this video interview, Marilyn Moon, an Institute Fellow at AIR, explains why the issue matters and which features of the federal health insurance program for Americans ages 65 and older and the disabled most need to be addressed.

Project

Increasing Use of Maternity Care Public Quality Reports

Consumers typically don’t consult public reports of healthcare quality when choosing providers or making treatment decisions. AIR developed and evaluated an intervention to help pregnant women better understand and more effectively use maternity care quality information.
Project

Substance Abuse Youth Topic Page on Youth.gov

AIR's Substance Abuse Youth topic page on Youth.gov provides information and resources for youth-serving agencies. The new topic provides information and resources focused on substance abuse prevalence, risk and protective factors, warning signs, screening assessments, and prevention and treatment.
3 Aug 2012
Video

Building Awareness About HIV/AIDS: Julia Galdo Discusses Ongoing Challenges in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

AIR works to build awareness about the ongoing risk of HIV/AIDS, especially the long odds in high-risk communities. AIR's Health Program translates HIV research into effective communication for the general public, working with partners such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Project

Project Talent

377,000 students. 1,300 schools. In 1960, AIR launched Project Talent, the largest and most comprehensive study of high school students ever conducted in the United States. Now, as the original study participants move into retirement, Project Talent has become an important resource for understanding the aging process.
1 Oct 2011
Guide

An Organizational Guide to Building Health Services Research Capacity

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and AIR developed this guide to help research organizations and institutions improve their health services research capacity and competitiveness for grant and contract funding.

15 Apr 2011
Report

Key Strategies for Violence and Substance Abuse Prevention I: Working with Children and Families

Three National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention publications highlight key prevention strategies: one for children and their families, another that targets the role of classroom and school environments, and a third that explores ways in which community-based strategies can contribute to the prevention of school violence and substance abuse.
8 Apr 2011
Toolkit

The Mentoring Toolkit: Resources for Developing Programs for Incarcerated Youth

This toolkit provides information, program descriptions, and links to important resources.
Project

Center for Mental Health Initiatives Logistics and Tribal Support

The purpose of the Logistics and Tribal Support project is to provide logistical and administrative support to the Child, Adolescent, and Family Branch and initiatives related to the Center for Mental Health Initiatives.

Project

Learning and Diffusion Support for Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Initiatives

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Initiatives conducts demonstrations designed to improve the quality or efficiency of care provided to Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries. AIR was engaged early in CMMI operations to support the center’s Learning and Diffusion Group in developing a peer-to-peer learning infrastructure and providing shared learning opportunities across multiple initiatives, including the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative, Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations, Federally Qualified Health Center-Advanced Primary Care Program, and the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative.
14 Feb 2011
Report

Heart Healthy Cookbooks from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

AIR staff helped create Keep the Beat™ Recipes: Deliciously Healthy Family Meals, an exciting new cookbook from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) featuring 40 kid-tested recipes that parents and children can enjoy together as well as time-saving tips and helpful resources for busy families.

Project

Support of Transparency Efforts by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

The mission of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel of experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine, is to make evidence-based recommendations on clinical preventive services and health promotion. Since 2010, AIR has collaborated with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which supports the USPSTF, on the Transparency Project to facilitate task force efforts to incorporate public feedback and ensure transparency.
Project

Vaccine Safety

AIR conducted media and influencer analyses that examined the content and tone of traditional and online media coverage of vaccines and vaccine safety, identified supportive individuals and organizations, and recommended influential and vocal allies. Our findings helped inform the National Vaccine Program Office's messaging and media outreach strategy.

Project

Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center Evaluation

The Regional Extension Centers provided technical assistance to physicians and other clinicians in individual and small practices to adopt, implement, and meaningfully use electronic health records. AIR conducted a multiyear, mixed-method, independent national evaluation of the program.
Project

Guide to Support Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Quality and Safety

Research shows that when patients are engaged in their health care, it can lead to measurable improvements in safety and quality. To promote stronger engagement, AIR led a team to develop, implement, and evaluate a Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Safety and Quality for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Project

Translating Comparative Effectiveness Reports for Consumers and Clinicians

For nearly a decade, AIR supported the John M. Eisenberg Center for Clinical Decisions and Communications Science at the Baylor College of Medicine in turning comparative effectiveness research results into practical information for decision making. Funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Eisenberg Center translated and disseminated research findings for use by consumers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers.
Project

Aligning Forces for Quality

The Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) initiative sought to lift the overall quality, equality, and value of healthcare in 16 communities across the country. AIR provided technical assistance to help the Alliances meet quality and cost goals by engaging consumers in their health and healthcare.
Project

The Communication Toolkit: Using Information to Get High Quality Care

The Communication Toolkit: Using Information to Get High Quality Care is based on AIR's rigorous study of the challenges involved in disseminating information about evidence-based health care.
Project

CAHPS® Cancer Care Survey

The Cancer Care Survey is the first CAHPS survey designed for a specific illness. Created by AIR and the Mayo Clinic, the survey assesses the experiences of adults receiving cancer treatment in outpatient and inpatient settings, such as independent community oncology practices, cancer centers at community hospitals, and cancer centers at academic medical centers, including those designated as comprehensive cancer centers by the National Cancer Institute.
Project

Veterans’ Health Administration Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients

AIR assisted the Veterans Health Administration's Office of Quality Performance when they changed the content of their Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients to surveys modeled on the CAHPS Inpatient and Clinician-Group surveys.

Project

Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Network Center

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) is an NIH-funded initiative to develop and validate patient reported outcomes (PROs) for clinical research and practice. As the initial PROMIS network center, AIR has been at the forefront of developing and implementing PROs to inform research and clinical care.
Project

Reducing Hospital Associated Infections (HAIs)

AIR and Carilion Medical Center worked together to identify the challenges of implementing patient safety initiatives to decrease hospital associated infections.
Project

TeamSTEPPS™

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Department of Defense have worked with AIR since 2002 to identify best practices and set the standard for medical team training. A major result of this partnership was the development of TeamSTEPPS, or Team Strategies and Tools for Enhancing Performance and Patient Safety.
Project

Creation of a Cross-Specialty Surgical Version of the CAHPS Survey

AIR developed a survey to assess the quality of surgical care from the perspective of patients for the American College of Surgeons.

Project

Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) II

AIR worked with Yale University and RAND to develop tools to assess the performance of health plans and healthcare providers from the perspectives of beneficiaries and patients for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study II.

Project

Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza Population Monitoring Surveys

AIR conducted a series of surveys to assess the public’s knowledge, attitudes and behavior with respect to seasonal and pandemic influenza in 2007. We are continuing the series, focusing on H1N1 high-risk populations in 2009 and 2010.
Project

Working with Communities to Understand Health Risk

AIR collaborated with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Project

CMS Integrated Chronic Disease Quality Performance Measurement at the Level of the Physician’s Office

Defining overall quality measures of physician performance with respect to chronic disease management and preventive care for older adults and to define strategies for quality improvement and physician recognition programs.

Project

TRICARE Dental CAHPS Design, Implementation and Reporting

AIR developed and pilot tested a consumer assessment survey instrument for adults to provide information about the quality of TRICARE dental benefits as reported by enrollees in the TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) and the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program (TRDP).

22 Sep 2005
Testimony

Testimony: Meeting Medicare's Future Needs: Cost and Payment of Medicare Part D

Medicare expert Marilyn Moon testifies on the program's costs and affordability, focusing on the prescription drug benefit as an important addition to assuring access to good health care.

Project

Communicating About Pandemic Flu

AIR is working with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Marketing to help individuals and communities prepare for a possible influenza pandemic.