AJMC to Name Emerging Leader Award in Honor of Seema S. Sonnad, PhD

AJMC to Name Emerging Leader Award in Honor of Seema S. Sonnad, PhDFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 10, 2015

PLAINSBORO, N.J.—A recognition program launched this year to coincide with the 20^th year of The American Journal of Managed Care will be named the Seema S. Sonnad Emerging Leader in Managed Care Research Award. The award will honor the journal’s longtime associate editor, who died of a cardiac arrhythmia she suffered while running an ultramarathon May 27, 2015, in Washington State.

Seema S. Sonnad, PhD, 52, was the co-director of the Value Institute at Christiana Care Health System of Wilmington, Delaware, which offered her the opportunity to apply her wealth of knowledge of healthcare systems to real-world settings. Her varied, multi-disciplinary career had focused on the evaluation of medical services, but her personal interests had always involved teaching and mentoring up-and-coming leaders in the field, especially young women.

For more than a year, Dr. Sonnad had been among the members of the AJMC editorial board advocating for a program to recognize emerging leaders in the field of managed care. She had been scheduled to take part in the selection of the first finalists and, ultimately, the winner. Three finalists will be invited to a celebration of 20 years of The American Journal of Managed Care, to be held October 28, 2015, in Orlando, Florida.

“Seema was one of the people who made our Emerging Leader program happen, so it is appropriate to name the award in her honor,” said Michael E. Chernew, PhD, co-editor in chief of the journal. “Seema was a highly sought after and spectacular mentor,” said A. Mark Fendrick, MD, co-editor in chief. “This honor recognizes her enthusiasm for nurturing the careers of young researchers from a number of disciplines.”

About the Award

The Seema S. Sonnad Emerging Leader in Managed Care Research Award will recognize an individual whose early achievements in managed care demonstrate the potential for making an exceptional long-term contribution as a leader in the field. The award includes complimentary attendance at that event (including registration, travel / accommodation, and relevant expenses to be paid for the length of participation in the meeting) for three finalists.

Award nominees must meet the following requirements:

· Be less than five years from the receipt of their highest degree / less than seven years from their first full-time position.

· While not a requirement, the publication or acceptance of a paper in The American Journal of Managed Care will be positively noted.

Nominations: The nomination package should consist of a letter of recommendation outlining the nominee’s contributions and deservingness (not to exceed 2 pages), CV, and AJMC publication (if applicable). Self-nominations are permitted.

Please submit all nominations to: info@ajmc.com by July 1, 2015.

About the Journals

The American Journal of Managed Care celebrates its 20^th year in 2015 as the leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to issues in managed care. Other titles in the franchise include The American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits, which provides pharmacy and formulary decision-makers with information to improve the efficiency and health outcomes in managing pharmaceutical care, and The American Journal of Accountable Care, which publishes research and commentary on new healthcare delivery models facilitated by the 2010 Affordable Care Act. AJMC’s news publications, the Evidence-Based series, bring together stakeholder views from payers, providers, policymakers and pharmaceutical leaders in oncology and diabetes management. To order reprints of articles appearing in AJMC publications, please call (609) 716-7777, x 131.

CONTACT: Nicole Beagin (609) 716-7777 x 131

nbeagin@ajmc.com

www.ajmc.com