AHRQ Commemorates 35 Years as an Independent Science Agency

I am thrilled to announce that 2024 represents a momentous milestone: the 35th anniversary of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). This is a time to reflect on our rich history, what we have accomplished, and the partners that helped us get to this moment. It is also an opportunity to look forward to a future filled with innovation and collaboration in improving healthcare in our Nation.

Thirty-five years ago, in 1989, Congress took a significant step when it elevated the National Center for Health Services Research and Health Care Technology Assessment to full agency status, creating what was then known as the Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research. This pivotal moment recognized health services research (HSR) as a fundamental component of healthcare and a key to improving healthcare delivery. In 1999, Congress renamed the Agency as AHRQ, reaffirming and codifying our role not just as a funder of scientific research, but as the federal home of HSR.

HSR is a multidisciplinary (e.g., social and behavioral sciences, engineering, clinical) applied scientific field dedicated to improving the customer’s experience in accessing and receiving high-quality medical and mental healthcare services.  It focuses on answering questions and providing solutions for improved healthcare delivery performance (e.g., access, financing, outcomes) and care quality along its six domains—safety, effectiveness, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable—in “real world” settings.  It addresses the broad topics of medical knowledge, care delivery processes, and organization of healthcare services.

AHRQ has established a tradition of supporting groundbreaking HSR to make healthcare more accessible, equitable, affordable, and safer.  Our 35^th anniversary campaign, themed “Today’s Research, Tomorrow’s Healthcare,” epitomizes our commitment to delivering innovative solutions, tools, and research that shape equitable patient outcomes both today and in the future. The theme highlights the work of AHRQ that has catalyzed future innovations and achievements in healthcare.

It is essential to recognize that AHRQ didn’t get to this moment alone, so our anniversary celebration will focus on AHRQ’s rich history of successful partnerships. True to the saying, “It takes a village,” our achievements are a testament to the power of collaboration. The synergistic efforts with co-funders, patients, clinical partners, grantees, staff, and training program alumni have greatly influenced the achievements of AHRQ. Our Agency embodies the ethos that meaningful healthcare quality and safety advancements are achieved through collective effort and shared expertise and perspectives.

To that end, a central feature of our celebration is the launch of the AHRQ Alumni Group on LinkedIn, a platform designed to foster communication and collaboration within the broader AHRQ community. This group will serve as a hub for updates on anniversary activities, sharing key moments from our history, and encouraging dialogue and shared narratives. Additionally, this platform will play a crucial role in the nomination process for the inaugural AHRQ Hall of Fame, with the first cohort to be announced in December 2024. 

This is very much a celebratory year at AHRQ. We are sharing our 35^th anniversary with two other significant milestones: the 40th anniversary of the United States Preventive Services Task Force and the 20th anniversary of the Agency’s Digital Healthcare Research Program. We thank these partners and colleagues for their relentless commitment and contributions to healthcare research and innovation.

Future blog posts about AHRQ’s 35^th Anniversary will highlight how our work to improve healthcare has evolved over the last three decades, how we view our role, and highlight activities and moments that have spurred breakthroughs and innovations for our healthcare systems nationwide.

I am filled with immense pride and optimism as we enter this celebratory year. Our journey over the past three and a half decades has been extraordinary, and I look forward to celebrating this significant milestone with the AHRQ extended family.

Dr. Valdez is director of AHRQ. 

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