It is with great pleasure that we present the strategic plan for the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Reflected in these pages are the voices of Institute faculty and staff as well as our colleagues and partners from across Rutgers and the community. Our vision for sustainable growth, to be realized through five goals in alignment with our mission and values, is based on a comprehensive strategic planning process informed by extensive stakeholder input.

Over the course of the next five years, we will build on the Institute’s legacy that began 35 years ago with its founding by David Mechanic, PhD, while preserving the multidisciplinary structure and dynamic that makes it truly unique. We will continue to foster rigorous theory-based research and innovative training, creating a collaborative hub for investigators across New Jersey and beyond. We will advance the translation of knowledge to impact policy and practice, with greater emphasis on engagement and partnerships.

The Institute has been moving the needle on population health for decades. Going forward, we will embrace this essential area of research more comprehensively, actively addressing salient and timely challenges, like health equity, healthy aging, behavioral health, pharmacoepidemiology, health services and health policy research, and many others. We are excited about the continued expansion of our infrastructure to support several major projects that coincide with the launch of this new plan, including what will be the largest cohort study New Jersey has seen to date.

This is a pivotal time for our Institute. We invite you to join us, and collectively, we will become even more visible, valuable, and viable.