We are excited to share that as of December 1, 2021 the UWPRC has a new director, Dr. Elizabeth Cox. Dr. Cox is a general pediatrician and population health scientist who has worked extensively in both academic and community settings. She is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics where she leads the Program of Research on Outcomes for Kids (PROKids). PROKids aims to improve health for children and families through system-level interventions and evaluates these interventions from the perspectives of diverse stakeholders. Her current work includes a focus on addressing disparities in vaccination against human papilloma virus (HPV) as a pathway to preventing cancers.
A consistent feature of Dr. Cox’s work is meaningful engagement with stakeholders. Stakeholder engagement has been called out as a pressing need. Dr. Cox’s work translates this need into effective processes that contribute to the success of health research throughout all its phases. In collaboration with partners, PROKids has developed materials and methods to successfully sustain engagement of people whose voices may not typically be heard in efforts to improve health or address health disparities. For example, in a current project to improve assessment for intimate partner violence (IPV) in healthcare settings, seven survivors of IPV have guided the research questions and selected the outcomes to be evaluated.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Cox to the UWPRC! With her leadership, we look forward to building on the Center’s accomplishments.