Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to present to you our Annual Report on the activities and achievements of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute for 2019.

Over the last year, we traveled the world (to 14 countries and across 19 states) to present our work, published 267 peer-reviewed papers, launched 39 new research projects totaling $177 million, and submitted 111 new proposals. We increased our footprint across the Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health campuses, continuing a strong tradition of teaching activities, influencing curriculum and securing roles in educational leadership. Our recruitment efforts resulted in a record of 9 new faculty and 60 new hires across the Institute. With these new faces come new ideas, areas of expertise, and fresh perspectives on our path forward.

Now, for the path forward: in 2019, we concluded our 2015-2019 strategic plan and catalyzed the efforts of faculty and staff alike to develop the new strategic plan for 2020-2024. A year of thoughtful reflection and ongoing discussion yielded a roadmap that details how we will focus our strengths and build capacity to expand into new areas over the next five years. Building on our expertise and achievements, this plan will inspire, strengthen, and expand our work.

As part of the strategic planning process, we also took a closer look at our mission statement and realized it was missing a key component of much of our work–our partnerships. Our revised mission - to improve health care delivery and population health through research and education, in partnership with health plans, delivery systems, and public health agencies - highlights the importance of these relationships to the work of the Institute.

We look forward to what the next five years will bring, but first, I invite you to review 2019’s achievements and let me know what you think.

Sincerely,

Richard Platt
Professor and Chair, Department of Population Medicine
President, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute