Professor and leader in health equity Valire C. Copeland, Ph.D. received a prestigious appointment to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a major federal funder within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Dr. Copeland was appointed as a standing member of the Healthcare System and Value Research (HSVR) study section at the AHRQ which focuses on building evidence to make healthcare safer, more accessible, and more equitable. Funding from AHRQ is one of the most sought-after sources of federal funding in Social Work, Public Health, Medicine, and Allied Health Professions.
“AHRQ often asks for reviewers for a single meeting depending on expertise, but an appointment as a standing member is a high recognition that Dr. Copeland is at the top of her field and therefore trusted to make judicious decisions about what work the federal government should be funding in the areas of healthcare access and equity,” said Associate Dean for Research Dr. Shaun Eack. “It also means that the expertise Dr. Copeland brings is viewed as especially deep, as she will sit on study section for all proposals that the Healthcare System and Value Research study section will receive.”
Dr. Copeland’s work as a standing member of an AHRQ study section will involve providing scientific, budgetary, and human subjects review of grant proposals related to healthcare safety, access, and equity with a panel of other accomplished scholars to inform the federal government of the merits of project proposals received by the Agency. This esteemed panel therefore guides the larger field in the most promising directions to pursue for improving the safety, efficacy, access, and equity of healthcare in the United States.
“Dr. Copeland is a seasoned scholar and administrator with a demonstrated commitment to social justice and the well-being of populations and communities that are too often neglected.” Said John Wallace, Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity and Development, David E. Epperson Chair and Professor, Center on Race and Social Problems Senior Fellow for Research and Community Engagement.
More information about Dr. Copeland’s work can be found on her webpage.