2012 Nemours Child Health Services Research Award

2012 Nemours Award Winner 

Tumaini Rucker Coker, M.D., M.B.A. 
Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA

Dr. Coker is assistant professor of pediatrics at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and natural scientist at RAND. Dr. Coker's research has focused on delivery system redesign for child and adolescent preventive health services, as well as racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in health and health care. She investigates innovative models of health care delivery within the context of the patient-centered medical home to improve the quality of primary care services delivered to children in low-income communities. She is currently directing two separate federally funded studies to design and pilot-test new models of preventive care delivery for low-income families with young children. The first study is in collaboration with a community health center in Los Angeles, and the second is in partnership with one of the largest public health plans in the United States. Dr. Coker's work has also focused on racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in family-centered care, the health and health care of homeless children, perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and its effects on child mental health, racial/ethnic disparities in mental health care utilization, and the health and health care of LGBT youth.

Her work has been published in various journals including JAMA, Pediatrics, and the American Journal of Public Health, and has been covered by mainstream media outlets including CNN, USA Today, and NBC. She is a recipient of several awards, including the 2011 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship, a national award that recognizes one outstanding junior faculty member who has demonstrated leadership in the United States in addressing inequities in health care; educational, societal, and health care needs of minorities; and a commitment to a career in academic medicine.Dr. Coker completed her undergraduate education at Stanford University and received an M.B.A. at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.  

She received an M.D. at the Drew/UCLA Medical Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and completed a pediatric residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Coker was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at the University of Chicago from 2004-2006. She supervises residents and medical students in general pediatrics at UCLA.

View a list of past award recipients

2012 Call for Nominations: Closed

The Nemours Child Health Services Research Award recognizes the scientific work of emerging scholars in the field of child health services research, particularly research on quality improvement of pediatric health services.

Recipients must be within seven years of entry into the field of child health services research as of December 31, 2011. Year of entry will be judged by the nominee's first publication in child health services research.  A letter of nomination and the CV from the nominee is required.  Self-nominations are accepted.  Please send the information to Anna LaFayette via the Child Health email address.  The subject line should read "Nemours Award Nomination."

The winner will receive $1,000 in recognition of his/her contribution to child health services research, and the award will be presented at the Child Health Services Research Meeting held June 23, 2012, in Orlando, held in conjunction with AcademyHealth's Annual Research Meeting.

About Nemours

Nemours is dedicated to providing treatment and curative services to acutely and chronically ill children. Caring for more than 225,000 children each year during more than 870,000 patient visits, Nemours is one of the nation's largest pediatric subspecialty group practices. This is in addition to many ongoing research and education programs conducted at Nemours. Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., as well as four major children's specialty centers in Wilmington, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Pensacola, Fla. For more information about Nemours, visit www.nemours.org.

About AcademyHealth

AcademyHealth is the professional home for health services researchers, policy analysts, and practitioners, and a leading, non-partisan resource for the best in health research and policy. AcademyHealth promotes the use of objective research and analysis to inform health policy and practice.

Need more information?

Please contact Anna LaFayette or 202.292.6739.

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