Brook, Robert H.

Robert H. Brook is an internationally recognized expert on quality assessment and quality assurance. Brook and his colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the RAND Corporation are widely credited with developing pioneering methods for studying the appropriateness of medical care and measuring quality. Brook's seminal work on healthcare quality and health status measurement has led to the development of policies for improved health and quality. His research has also created the scientific basis for deciding if many different medical and surgical procedures are used appropriately.

Brook is professor of medicine and health services at the UCLA, where he directs the Robert Wood Johnson/UCLA Clinical Scholars Program. He is also vice president and director of the RAND Corporation's Health Sciences Program.

Brook received his bachelor of science degree from the University of Arizona. He went on to receive a medical degree from Johns Hopkins Medical School and a doctorate of science degree from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.

Since 1974, Brook has served on the faculty of the UCLA. Over the course of more than 30 years at that university, he has trained many healthcare industry leaders. As the director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, he has been pivotally involved in training physicians to take an active role in policy and to focus on healthcare at the community level

Brook's contributions have been recognized with a number of awards and honors, including the Baxter Foundation Prize for excellence in health services research, the Institute of Medicine's Lienhard Award, the Rosenthal Foundation Award of the American Association of Physicians, the Peter Reizenstein Prize, the Distinguished Health Services Research Award of the Association of Health Services Research, the Robert J. Glaser Award of the Society of General Internal Medicine, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Health Quality Award for the pursuit of healthcare quality at all levels of the health system and research, and America's 2000 Advocacy Award for Sustained Leadership at the National Level. Brook [Page 108]also was selected as one of the 75 Heroes of Public Health by Johns Hopkins University in 1991. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (IOM); the American Society for Clinical Investigation; the American Association of Physicians; and the Board of Overseers at the University of California Davis Medical School.

Brook has published nearly 300 medical articles throughout his career. As a board-certified internist, he has conducted revolutionary work in the field of quality measurement that has led to the development of measurement tools used by the government, physicians, and other groups. Brook has focused specific attention on developing health status and quality measures for vulnerable populations, including the elderly, HIV-positive individuals, and special-needs children.

Recently, Brook was appointed the chair of a panel on coronary artery bypass graft surgical outcomes that will advise California's Office of Statewide Health Planning. Brook has dedicated his career to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the healthcare delivery system, and his work has transformed the way in which healthcare quality is evaluated. Because of Brook's substantial contributions in this field, policymakers have incorporated his research findings into national healthcare policy standards.

...