A Day in the Life: Dr. Shih Talks About His NPC-Milken Institute SPH Fellowship
In 2012, the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) and the Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at The George Washington University partnered to create a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in health policy. This fellowship was awarded to Dr. Chuck Shih, who was formerly an analyst in the Coverage and Analysis Group at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In his roles at NPC and Milken Institute SPH, Dr. Shih addresses the health care policy implications and application of comparative effectiveness research (CER).
In 2012, the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) and the Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at The George Washington University partnered to create a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in health policy. This fellowship was awarded to Dr. Chuck Shih, who was formerly an analyst in the Coverage and Analysis Group at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In his roles at NPC and Milken Institute SPH, Dr. Shih addresses the health care policy implications and application of comparative effectiveness research (CER).
NPC and Milken Institute SPH recently announced that they will partner for a second fellowship in health care policy, and applications are now being accepted. Given the rapid changes in the health care environment and full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, this fellowship will focus more broadly on understanding health care policy related to pharmaceuticals.
What’s it like to hold the fellowship? We asked Dr. Shih to share his experiences thus far.
You’re one and a half years into your fellowship. What insights have you gained from your fellowship with NPC and Milken Institute SPH?
Through interactions with different health care stakeholders, I have developed a deeper appreciation of how the U.S. health care system continues to evolve. All stakeholders are being confronted with challenges that need to be addressed in the coming years, ranging from how to conduct high-quality research to ensure that patients have access to important information to how best to structure health care delivery so that both costs and quality are adequately considered. This fellowship has helped me develop my understanding of the views of different health care stakeholders on some of the most complicated questions that we are all trying to address.
What’s a typical day like as the NPC-Milken Institute SPH Fellow?
On a typical day, I interact with NPC staff and/or Milken Institute SPH faculty. I also spend time speaking to research partners with whom I am working on projects. Through this fellowship, I also have had the chance to meet with and speak to thought leaders in health care, as well as the opportunity to attend meetings on topics that interest me.
How do you see this experience as shaping your career?
The NPC-Milken Institute SPH fellowship has definitely allowed me to develop a more nuanced perspective on the complexity of health care policy issues, some of which different stakeholders agree on, and of course, some issues on which they disagree. I think this understanding will be invaluable in my future policy career. It is a matter of not just understanding and identifying the “key questions,” but also knowing how decisions are made and how to influence real change.
What would you tell post-doctoral students who are interested in applying for the fellowship?
I would tell any post-doctoral student wanting to learn more about health care policy to consider the NPC-Milken Institute SPH opportunity. It’s a great opportunity to learn from some very intelligent people, to be engaged in some really interesting topics/projects, and to have the freedom to explore topics of interest.