Julie Sochalski

Julie Sochalski, PhD, RN, FAAN, is director for the Division of Nursing in the Bureau of Health Professions at HRSA. Before joining HRSA, she was an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing. Named as an AARP/American Academy of Nursing (AAN) Fellow, Dr. Sochalski is recognized as a national and international expert in health policy and health services research in nursing. Some of her many accomplishments include directing a series of national and international studies funded by the National Institutes of Health and other private and government foundations that have sought to explain critical factors influencing the quality of patient care and patient outcomes in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She completed an international study evaluating the outcomes of disease management interventions for heart failure patients and their implications for payment policy options for the Medicare was featured in the January-February 2009 issue of Health Affairs that was profiled at the National Press Club in January 2009. Dr. Sochalski’s work also centers on nursing care and patient outcomes that include studies examining the longitudinal effects of hospital price competition on patient outcomes and whether nurse staffing is a significant mediating variable in these effects.

During her fellowship, Dr. Sochalski conducted research and investigate issues related to aging that have important policy implications for AARP and AAN. She also served as a strategic adviser to the Center with emphasis on creating a natural linkage between the AARP and AAN and identifying other connection points that can be leveraged for achieving mutual goals.