A New Era of Research

In July 2008, Harold S. "Hal" Luft, Ph.D., an internationally renowned health economist, became the new Director of the Research Institute at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF). Dr. Luft comes to the Institute from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he joined the faculty in 1978 and served as Caldwell B. Esselstyn Professor of Health Policy and Director of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies for more than 14 years.

A portion of Dr. Luft’s salary is funded by the endowment established by longtime PAMF donor Leonard Ely, Jr. to honor his late father, orthopedic surgeon Leonard Ely, Sr. "My father loved medical research and gave his life to enhance the practice of medicine," said Leonard. "When the opportunity was presented to make a gift to support the new director of the Research Institute, I wanted to help," he said. "It thrills me to know that my gift will further the vision of Dr. Luft, whom I so greatly admire."

Leonard encourages young philanthropists to find something they love and give money to support it. "There are so many ways to help," he said. "You just have to look around and find the giving opportunity that is most meaningful to you."

Dr. Luft pointed out that much of his research at UCSF involved using other people's data. "What inspires me most about this new position with the PAMF Research Institute is the opportunity to have direct access to a health care delivery system with extraordinary information," he said. "PAMF is one of the few places in the country where all the internal data is stored electronically. The electronic health record combined with the ability to collaborate with practicing physicians creates the ideal environment for exploring how study data impacts the real world of patient care."

In the months leading up to his official start date at the Research Institute, Dr. Luft assisted PAMF in its efforts to recruit new department chairs for Health Policy Research and Clinical Research, as well as several junior investigators for each department. "In the arena of clinical research, we have an enormous opportunity to use the electronic health record to develop new clinical trials and examine how new drugs are entered into practice," he said. Barbara Anderson, R.N., CCRA, CCRC, will work closely with the new department chair as she continues in her current role as the Institute's Clinical Research Manager.

The Department of Health Services Research, which conducts studies on how patient behavior and clinical care impact health outcomes, will remain under the leadership of Sandra Wilson, Ph.D. "When you assess study data, you always need to consider the implication of that data to the lives of real people," explained Dr. Luft. In the months and years ahead, Dr. Luft will encourage ongoing collaboration among the three departments at the Research Institute.

Dr. Luft, who has authored more than 200 scientific articles and published four books, recently completed his fifth book, Total Cure: The Antidote to the Health Care Crisis. Total Cure explores the underlying problems in our current health care insurance system and offers what he believes are more viable alternatives. "The current system doesn't work well even for people who have insurance," he explained. "Costs are growing at an unsustainable rate, and most people still don't get the quality of care they want." In his book, Dr. Luft recommends mandating universal health care insurance coverage for chronic illness care and major acute hospitalization, and for giving physicians more freedom to order the care they deem appropriate for their own patients.

"I am impressed that the Research Institute operates independently from the medical group at PAMF," he said. "This gives researchers the freedom to pursue the studies they feel are most important. It's a structure that will allow us to recruit top-rate people."

As the Research Institute enters this new era in its 58-year history, philanthropic support will be more important than ever. "We must be able to attract the best and brightest investigators," said Dr. Luft. "We have great data and access to quality information, but we are competing with major universities. We need to offer investigators the job security and supportive work environment they require to do their best work."

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