Harkness Project Title: Quality for Equality: How Data on Race and Ethnicity Are Used To Improve the Quality of Health Care

Mentors: John Z. Ayanian, M.D.; Bruce Siegel, M.D.

Placement: Harvard Medical School

Biography at time of Harkness Fellowship: Ruth Thorlby, a 2008–09 Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice, is a fellow in health policy at the King's Fund, where she was previously a research officer. In this role, Thorlby heads the Briefings Unit, which produces analyses and commentary for policymakers and the media. Thorlby also has ten years of experience as a journalist, including positions as assistant producer for BBC Television's "Panorama," and senior broadcast journalist for BBC World Service Radio. She is the lead author of 14 King's Fund reports, and has been published in journals such as the British Medical Journal, Journal of Health Services Research and Policy, and Health Services Journal. Thorlby holds a master's degree in social policy and planning from the London School of Economics, where her dissertation, "From Patient to Consumer: Will more patient choice in the NHS mean better health care?" won the Titmuss Examination Prize.

Current Position: Senior Fellow, The Nuffield Trust. (Updated August 2010)

E-mail: Ruth.Thorlby@nuffieldtrust.org.uk

Harkness-Related Publications

Thorlby R. “Ruth Thorlby on the price of healthcare in the US.” Health Service Journal. Online article. 27 October 2008.