RAND Researcher Receives 2005 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

RAND Corporation policy researcher Kathryn Pitkin Derose has been named one of 56 recipients of the 2005 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), and is the first RAND researcher to receive the prestigious award.

The awards, presented at a White House ceremony, recognize outstanding scientists and engineers who, early in their careers, show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of knowledge. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers.

Nine federal departments and agencies select PECASE nominees. Derose was nominated by the Department of Health and Human Services/National Institutes of Health.

Derose’s award gives her five years of supplemental funding for her current analytical work as principal investigator on a study RAND is conducting for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The study examines the capacity of urban religious congregations for HIV prevention and care.

“We are very proud that Kathryn was recognized for her exceptional research in health care and HIV prevention,” said RAND Vice President Robert Brook, who is director of RAND Health. “She is one of many RAND Health researchers who are making a difference in addressing some of the most important health challenges facing the world today.”

Before completing her Ph.D. and accepting a position as associate social scientist at RAND in 2003, Derose conducted research on several projects at RAND, including serving as project director of the Los Angeles Mammography Promotion in Churches Program. Prior to coming to RAND, Derose worked for nearly six years in community health development in Latin America.

Derose’s other research at RAND includes projects involving community-based health programs, health care policy for the uninsured in Miami-Dade County, and health care access and quality for Latinos and immigrants.

Derose received a B.A. in Latin American studies from Duke University. She received a master’s of public health degree in population and family health, and a Ph.D. in health services from UCLA.

RAND Health, a division of the RAND Corporation, is the nation’s largest independent health policy research program, with a broad research portfolio that focuses on health care quality, costs and delivery, among other topics.