Susan Fox, PhD, Associate Director of the IOD, has been appointed to two prestigious national committees. This summer she served as the Policy Consultant to the Aging, Retirement, and End of Life strand of the National Goals in Research, Practice and Policy working meeting. She has also been appointed by the members of the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) to serve on their Steering Committee on Long Term & Chronic Care.

In August, Dr. Fox served as strand leader policy consultant and resource for the Aging, Retirement, and End of Life strand of the National Goals in Research, Practice and Policy working meeting. The meeting, built upon the findings of the 2003 meeting entitled Keeping the Promises: National Goals, State of Knowledge and Research Agenda for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, was designed to outline a vision for the future and leadership of research, practice, and policy in intellectual and developmental disabilities.

As the strand leader policy consultant, Susan worked with the strand leader, Dr. Joan Hahn; to (a) provide support in developing a brief summary that synthesizes the current state of IDD research, practice, and policy, (b) facilitate onsite learning by participating in the discussion, and (c) contribute to the selection of “big picture questions” to be addressed by strand participants.

The meeting, held on August 6-7, 2015 in Washington, DC, was jointly organized by the RTC on Community Living/Institute on Community Integration (MN UCEDD), The Arc of the US, the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), the RTC on Developmental Disabilities and Health/Institute on Disability and Human Development (IL UCEDD), and the RTC on Employment at the University of Massachusetts Boston, with the support of NIDDR and AIDD.

Dr. Fox has also been elected to serve on The National Academy for State Health Policy’s (NASHP) Steering Committee on Long Term & Chronic Care. She is currently working with this committee to organize a panel presentation on including home and community based providers in managed care for NASHPs annual meeting in October.

The NASHP is an independent academy of state health policymakers who are dedicated to helping states achieve excellence in health policy and practice. A non-profit, non-partisan organization, NASHP works collaboratively with state and federal officials, providers, researchers and consumers to develop and implement new approaches and policies to achieve quality, affordable, health care and advance a culture of health across states. Steering Committee members assure that NASHP’s work meets the pressing and emerging needs of state health policy leaders.

Dr. Susan Fox is the Associate Director of the Institute on Disability and Co-Director of the Center on Aging and Community Living at UNH. She serves on the NH Governor’s Commission on Medicaid Care Management as well as several community boards including Board President of the Office of Public Guardian.

The Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is to promote full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons by strengthening communities and advancing policy and systems change, promising practices, education, and research.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.