The UC Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research (CHPR) announced today the appointment of Courtney Lyles as the center’s new director, starting July 1. She will also join the Department of Public Health Sciences as a faculty member.

Before moving to UC Davis, Lyles was on faculty at UCSF’s Division of General Internal Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Center for Vulnerable Populations, and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. She served as a co-director of the Innovation in Research and Informatics core for the Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and the Population Health Data Initiative at UCSF.

“UC Davis welcomes Dr. Courtney Lyles who brings valuable expertise in studying and addressing health disparities and outcomes,” said UC Davis Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Jeffery C. Gibeling. “We also thank Dr. Jeffrey Hoch who served as an interim director of CHPR for his leadership and service.”

Lyles received her Ph.D. in Health Services from the University of Washington. She is a trained health services researcher who studies quality of care, health behavior and health outcomes. Her research focuses on harnessing health information technology to improve chronic disease management and help reduce health disparities.

She has worked on digital health design and testing, evaluation and implementation, from topics such as diabetes and hypertension to referrals to community-based health and social resources.

"I am thrilled to join the UC Davis community to lead and collaborate with the outstanding team at the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research,” Lyles said. “I am looking forward to continuing to advance our mission of interdisciplinary practice and policy-oriented research to improve health outcomes and reduce inequities."

Lyles is the principal investigator on Remote Monitoring for Equity in Advancing Control of Hypertension (REACH) study, funded by the National Institutes of Health. She is also a co-principal investigator on a new five-year, $17.8 million study, Comparing Hypertension Remote Monitoring Evaluation Redesign (CHARMED), funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Lyles as a highly qualified candidate to lead CHPR. She has proven leadership qualities and remarkable work on health disparities, telemedicine and implementation science,” said Kim Barrett, vice dean for research and chair of the recruitment advisory committee. “We are confident that she will build collaborations across UC Davis and relationships with the state of California that will propel us further as the go-to source of expertise in health policy.”

Hoch will serve as CHPR’s associate director, a role he has held since 2015. Miriam Nuño, who has been serving as interim associate director since February 2023, will continue working with the center’s leadership team and on biostatistics efforts.

About The Center for Healthcare Policy and Research

The Center for Healthcare Policy and Research’s mission is to facilitate research, promote education, and inform policy about health and health care. The goal is to improve the health of the public by contributing new knowledge about access, delivery, cost, quality and outcomes related to health care and providing rigorous evidence to policymakers and other stakeholders. CHPR executes its mission through interdisciplinary and collaborative research; education and career development; and research synthesis and dissemination. Learn about CHPR’s weekly seminar series and research themes and projects.