The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, the science arm of Northwell Health, continues to grow its breadth of notable faculty with the appointment of Felicia Hill-Briggs, Ph.D., ABPP, as a professor at the Institute of Health System Science.
Dr. Hill-Briggs has been named the inaugural Simons Foundation Chair in Clinical Research, an endowed position made possible by a $5 million philanthropic gift from the Simons Foundation to support her research.
Additionally, Dr. Hill-Briggs will take on the role of vice president for prevention at Northwell Health, where she will establish and expand disease prevention research and care programs at the Feinstein Institutes and across the health system. As a clinical psychologist and behavioral scientist, Dr. Hill-Briggs will focus on large-scale and personalized clinical trials centered around behavioral change to improve outcomes and self-management, particularly in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These initiatives will address high-priority conditions for Northwell. They will incorporate essential themes for long-term outcome effectiveness and sustainability, addressing health equity, social determinants of health, people with disabilities, and other public health initiatives.
Dr. Hill-Briggs joins the Feinstein Institutes from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where her primary appointment was as a professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine within the Department of Medicine. She also served as a lead of population health strategy for the American Diabetes Association, of which she was president of health care and education in 2018. Dr. Hill-Briggs has received many honors and awards, among them being the Rachmiel Levine Medal for leadership and service from the American Diabetes Association and election to the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
“From diabetes to heart health, the key to treating any disease is prevention, intervention and making care accessible to everyone,” said Dr. Hill-Briggs, the Simons Distinguished Chair in Clinical Research. “I am looking forward to joining the Feinstein Institutes and thanks to the Simons Foundation’s generous support, I hope to initiate and investigate new methods of reaching patients, overcoming social hurdles and implementing novel care approaches across our communities.”
“It’s a great development that Northwell was able to get someone of Dr. Hill-Briggs’ stature to be the first endowed Simons chair,” said Jim Simons, Simons Foundation co-chair. “Now that she is on board, the possibilities for improvement in patient outcomes are significantly enhanced.”
“Dr. Hill-Briggs is a respected leader in preventive care and early intervention research which bridges medical research and clinical care to communities in need,” said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president, and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and the Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research.
The Feinstein Institutes’ Institute of Health System Science is a multidisciplinary team of scientists and clinicians using cutting-edge technology, novel research methodology and big data to develop evidence-based frameworks to improve health outcomes for individuals, organizations and communities. The institute aims to help change the way physicians interact with patients and help patients make personalized choices to improve their health and well-being.
The Simons Foundation’s generosity supports Northwell’s seven-year, $1 billion Outpacing the Impossible fundraising campaign to fuel innovation to advance health care and support Northwell’s promise to the people it serves. The campaign – which supports capital projects, improves hospitals and clinical programs, advances research and funds endowment for teaching and research initiatives – was publicly launched in October 2018 and to date, has raised more than $830 million.
Dr. Hill-Briggs is the most recent addition to the Feinstein Institutes after Lopa Mishra, MD, being named the new co-director for the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine.