Kevin G.M. Volpp, M.D., Ph.D., core investigator with the VA Health Services Research & Development Service's Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP) at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center has been elected as a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
In addition to his role with CHERP, Dr. Volpp is the Director of the Center for Health Incentives at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Health Care Management at the Wharton School. His research focuses on the impact of financial and organizational incentives on health outcomes. Dr. Volpp's work on developing and testing innovative ways of incenting patients using behavioral economic theory—including examinations of financial incentives in smoking cessation, obesity, and medication adherence—has been widely published.
Dr. Volpp has been the recipient of numerous awards, including: the Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year from the Society of General Internal Medicine; the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)—the highest honor given by the US government to early career scientists; and the Alice S. Hersh New Investigator Award from AcademyHealth, the leading national membership organization serving the fields of health services and policy research.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, and has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues. Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer their service on IOM committees, boards, and other activities. Some of the IOM's recent projects include studies of environmental factors in breast cancer; health information technology and patient safety; nutrition rating systems and graphics on food packaging; establishing crisis standards of care during catastrophic disasters; and the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.