Professor Shireman will succeed Richard W. Besdine, MD who has held the position for nearly two decades. Under Dr. Besdine’s leadership, the Center has become nationally and internationally respected for its policy-relevant studies on the health and healthcare of older persons and those with chronic disease. Dr. Besdine announced that he was stepping down in July of 2018 but has continued to lead the Center through the search for a successor.
In her new role as Director, Professor Shireman will build new research programs while managing existing areas of strength and enhancing the research and administrative infrastructure that underpins the Center’s success to date and aligns with the School’s new strategic plan, Advancing Well-Being for All. She will provide strategic vision, intellectual leadership, and administrative oversight to the Center to advance and promote its mission to enhance the quality of life of persons with chronic illnesses, especially older adults, through both methodological and substantive research.
Professor Shireman joined Brown University in 2015 as professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice in the School of Public Health. She has been an active member of the School’s faculty serving in ad hoc leadership positions, selecting post-doctoral fellows and doctoral students, participating on search committees, teaching graduate courses, mentoring clinician scientists and doctoral students, and advancing the School’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Shireman is a health services researcher who specializes in pharmaceutical policy, pharmacoepidemiology and health economic evaluations. She has managed numerous contracts with the State Medicaid agencies and contributes to NIH funded research evaluating pharmaceutical use in vulnerable populations.
Prior to coming to Brown, Shireman was a member of the faculty at the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy (1997-1999), the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy (2000-2005) and the University of Kansas Medical Center (2006-2015). Professor Shireman holds a PhD in Epidemiology & Policy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Pharmacy, and a Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Science from the University Of Iowa College Of Pharmacy.
We extend our congratulations to Professor Shireman on her new position and thank Professor Besdine for his extraordinary service to the Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research and the School of Public Health.