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The HSR&D community is mourning the recent loss of their friend and colleague, James F. Burgess, Jr., PhD, who was a senior investigator at HSR&D's Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR) in Bedford and Boston, MA. In a tribute via social media, his colleague Dr. Allen Gifford, Co-Director of CHOIR, shared some of the impact Dr. Burgess had on the health services research community: "Jim has, of course, been a pillar of scholarship and mentorship in CHOIR at both VA Boston and Bedford, and has had huge impacts at the BU School of Public Health, and in the national and international communities of health services research scientists and educators."
Dr. Burgess was a health economist with more than 25 years of extensive healthcare management, research, and educational experience putting health services research into practice in diverse transdisciplinary settings. A key organizing principle of his research was balancing cost, quality, and access in healthcare. In addition to his role with CHOIR, he co-directed VA's Office of Academic Affairs Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Health Services Research and was Director of the Health Economics Program at Boston University, as well as Professor of Health Law, Policy & Management. Dr. Burgess also served as Chair of the AcademyHealth Health Services Research Learning Consortium. In addition, Dr. Burgess mentored dozens of health services researchers around the world, at various stages in their careers, with a focus on developing and honing transdisciplinary engagement with the complexities of health care systems. In 2015, Dr. Burgess received the John Eisenberg Award for Excellence in Mentorship.
HSR&D is grateful for his dedication and many contributions to improving the health and healthcare of Veterans. Jim Burgess will be greatly missed.
