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About RAND Health

RAND Health is a research division within the RAND Corporation. For more than 60 years, RAND has been working to improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND Health continues that tradition, advancing understanding of health and health behaviors, and examining how the organization and financing of care affect costs, quality, and access.

Our Beginnings


RAND Health originated in the 1960s, when policymakers were engaged in a vigorous debate about how health care should be financed. To provide a factual basis for the debate, in 1971 the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (now the Department of Health and Human Services) funded the RAND Health Insurance Experiment, a 15-year, multimillion-dollar effort that to this day remains the largest health policy study in U.S. history. The study's conclusions encouraged the restructuring of private insurance and helped increase the stature of managed care.

RAND Health Today


Today, RAND Health's staff includes more than 275 experts, many of whom are nationally recognized. We also draw on the expertise of the entire RAND staff, who work in areas ranging from international policy and national security to civil justice, public safety, education, child policy, and science and technology.

RAND Health is directed by Vice President Robert H. Brook, M.D., Sc.D., F.A.C.P. Dr. Brook is also Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of California at Los Angeles and Professor of Medicine and Health Services at the UCLA Center for Health Sciences. He is an internationally known expert on quality assessment and assurance, the development and use of health-status measurements in health policy, the efficiency and effectiveness of medical care, and variation in the use of medical services across geographical areas.

RAND Health research focuses on six major areas: Economics, Finance, and Organization; Global Health; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Military Health; Public Health Systems and Preparedness; and Quality Assessment and Quality Improvement. RAND COMPARE is a strategic initiative addressing the special challenges of assessing options for improving the U.S. health care system.

Many of our projects address current policy concerns, but we also work extensively on the scientific basis for improving service delivery, system performance, and organizational effectiveness. Sponsors of RAND Health's research and technical assistance include government agencies, foundations, and private-sector organizations. RAND Health's advisory board enriches our research agenda by adding their experience, perspective, and expertise. We disseminate our research findings broadly.

RAND Health Centers


In addition to the Drug Policy Research Center, a joint endeavor with RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment, RAND Health has developed specialized research centers, many in partnership with other institutions.

RAND Health Projects


In addition to our specialized research centers, many RAND Health projects also have web pages. These projects are also often in partnership with other institutions.

Training and Employment Opportunities


RAND Health is a growing organization and welcomes opportunities to review resumes from health services scholars at every career stage and from a broad spectrum of health-related disciplines. For application by E-mail or further information regarding RAND employment opportunities, please visit our Employment Homepage.

Participants in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, have the opportunity to involve themselves in RAND Health projects as part of their training.

RAND Health and the UCLA School of Public Health jointly sponsor a post-doctoral training program.

The Pardee RAND Graduate School is a fully accredited graduate school offering a Ph.D. in policy analysis. An essential component of the curriculum is on-the-job training, and Health projects are among those from which students choose.

RAND Health's Commitment to Diversity


At the RAND Corporation, diversity is expressed through our research agenda and activities, our global reach, and in the perspectives and backgrounds of our staff. We believe a broad spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives provides creativity, imagination, and innovative thinking. RAND Health's commitment to diversity includes engaging in research activities that address important social and economic issues affecting health care today.

Recent research addressing the accessibility and quality of health in underserved populations and communities includes:



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