2007 Under Secretary's Award in Health Services Research
Douglas Owens, MD, MS is the recipient
of the 2007 Under Secretary's Award for
Outstanding Achievement in Health
Services Research. This award recognizes a
VA researcher whose work has led to major
improvements in the quality of veterans'
health care, has made key contributions to
the future of health services research
through excellence in training and
mentorship, and has enhanced the visibility
and reputation of VA research through
national leadership. Dr. Owens is an influential health services
researcher and an exceptional mentor and leader, thus
exemplifying the qualities the Award represents.
Much of Dr. Owens' research has focused on HIV and sudden
cardiac death, and he was the recipient of two HSR&D Career
Development Awards in these areas. Dr. Owens' research
helped determine that routine HIV screening in health care
settings is cost-effective, even in relatively low-prevalence
populations. Results of this research were published in The
New England Journal of Medicine (February 2005) and played
an important role in a revision of HIV screening
recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). His research on strategies to prevent
sudden cardiac death determined that the use of an
implantable cardioverter defibrillator was a cost-effective
treatment for some patients and also identified those patients
most likely to benefit from the use of this device. In addition,
Dr. Owens has made fundamental contributions to the
methodology of guideline development and has shown that
guidelines are more effective if patients' preferences about health-related quality of life are incorporated.
Dr. Owens also conducts research in the area of
biodefense, evaluating the usefulness of
information and syndromic surveillance
systems, and the importance of the supply
chain in managing the response to
bioterrorism.
Dr. Owens has trained a generation of health
services researchers. He has mentored more
than 45 trainees, with several receiving
HSR&D Career Development Awards. He has served as a
consultant for national and international healthcare agencies,
including the CDC, the National Institutes of Health, and the
World Health Organization. With a dedicated commitment
to research, he has been a principal or co-principal investigator
on more than 35 grants/research projects, and has nearly 130
publications that include journal articles, books, and book
chapters. Dr. Owens' research has been presented more than
100 times at professional and scientific meetings. In addition
to his outstanding contributions to health services research, Dr.
Owens has been a staff physician with the Ambulatory Care
Department of the VA Medical Center in Palo Alto, CA for
more than 20 years.
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Owens has worked to
improve the health of veterans and has made a significant
impact on the quality of their care. It is with great pleasure
that VA presents Dr. Douglas Owens with the prestigious
Under Secretary’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in
Health Services Research.
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