Newsmakers

Stavins co-editing new Journal of Wine Economics

The Journal of Wine Economics, a new scholarly periodical published earlier this month for the first time, is co-edited by Robert Stavins, the Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government at the Kennedy School of Government. Stavins and his fellow editors note in the first issue that the journal is meant to provide a focused outlet for high-quality, peer-reviewed research on economic topics related to wine. Published semi-annually by the American Association of Wine Economists, the journal covers any area related to economic aspects of wine, viticulture, and enology.

Blendon, Sommers receive recognition from AHRQ

Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and management at Harvard School of Public Health, has received the 2006 John M. Eisenberg Excellence in Mentorship Award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Blendon directs the Harvard Program on Public Opinion and Health and Social Policy, which focuses on the roles of public opinion and leadership opinion in the formation of the nation’s domestic agenda.

Named after a former AHRQ director, the award honors an individual nationally who has proven to be an outstanding mentor and resource for students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. Blendon will accept the award June 24 at the 12th annual National Research Service Award Trainees Research Conference in Seattle.

Also at the conference, Benjamin Sommers, who received a Ph.D. in Harvard’s Health Policy Program last June, will be recognized with the AcademyHealth Dissertation of the Year Award. A joint M.D.-Ph.D. student, Sommers is finishing his third year at Harvard Medical School. The title of his dissertation is “The Dynamics of Public and Private Health Insurance Coverage in the United States.”

– Compiled by Andrew Brooks