Past Projects

Current Projects

Technical Assistance (2021-2022)

Provide Support for Effective Health Workforce Planning

HWTAC will provide training and assistance to planners, policy makers, and researchers on strategies that support effective health workforce data collection, analysis, and dissemination. This initiative will employ a variety of methods, including webinars, reports, briefs, and issue-specific HWTAC webpages. Specific activities include:

  • HWTAC webinar series (eg, health equity, impact of COVID-19, etc.)
  • ArcGIS tutorials for health workforce research

HWRC Dissemination (2021-2022)

Disseminate the Work of HRSA-funded Health Workforce Research Centers

HWTAC will promote and disseminate the work of the Health Workforce Research Centers (HWRCs) funded under cooperative agreements with HRSA’s National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) and information about the COVID-19 pandemic. Specific activities include:

  • Webinars featuring HWRC research
  • Continued implementation of the Health Workforce Research Alert System
  • Producing an Annual HWRC Report
  • Assisting with the management of quarterly HWRC director calls
  • Maintain and continue to develop a webpage on the impact of COVID-19 on the health workforce

Community of Practice (2021-2022)

Support the State Health Workforce Planning, Research, and Policy Community of Practice

HWTAC will create opportunities to bring together a community of state stakeholders, including health workforce planners, researchers, and policy makers to facilitate the sharing of information on topics of interest, including health workforce data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Specific activities will include:

  • Virtual meetings on topics of interest to community participants
  • Maintaining and expanding the State Health Workforce Data Collection Inventory
  • Developing an interactive online tool to compare how different states ask the same health workforce survey questions (eg, setting, education background, etc.)

Pandemic Disruptions to Education Pipeline (2021-2022)

Assessment of Pandemic Disruptions to the Health Professions Education Pipeline

HWTAC will closely examine COVID-19’s impact on the health professions education pipeline. The study will include key informant interviews, and an analysis of primary (eg, NY Resident Exit Survey) and secondary data sources (eg, IPEDS) when appropriate. Final products will include research briefs, a report, and webinars, as appropriate.

Compendium of Federal Data Sources (2021-2022)

Update Compendium of Federal Data Sources to Support Health Workforce Analysis

HWTAC will update the Compendium of Federal Data Sources to Support Health Workforce Analysis which was developed for HRSA in 2017. This update will include a full evaluation of the existing data sources and a comprehensive review of potential data sources to include in the compendium. HWTAC will also disseminate the updated compendium.

Technical Assistance

Providing Support for Effective Health Workforce Planning

HWTAC will provide training and assistance to planners, policy makers, and researchers on strategies that support effective health workforce data collection, analysis, and dissemination. This initiative will employ a variety of methods, including webinars, virtual workshops, research briefs, issue-specific HWTAC webpages, and reports. Specific activities include:

  • Maintaining the State Health Workforce Data Collection Inventory
  • Providing technical assistance to the Virgin Island Primary Care Office
  • ArcGIS tutorials for health workforce research

COVID-19 Resource

Develop and Maintain a Webpage on COVID-19 Impacts on the Health Workforce

HWTAC developed a section on the HWTAC website dedicated to providing planners and policy makers with up-to-date information on COVID-19 and the health workforce. HWTAC will continue to maintain and develop this site. HWTAC views this as a long-term effort that will eventually include “lessons learned.”

HWRC Dissemination

Disseminating the Work of HRSA-funded Health Workforce Research Centers (HWRCs)

  • Continued implementation of the Health Workforce Research Alert System
  • Produce an Annual HWRC Report
  • Assist with the management of quarterly Center Director calls
  • Continue to support research journal supplements that include manuscripts based on HRSA-funded work of the HWRCs

State Impacts of COVID-19

Study of Impacts of COVID-19 on the Health Workforce of States

Working in collaboration with George Washington University, HWTAC will conduct key informant interviews to learn more about state-specific strategies to expand their health workforce in response to COVID-19 as well as the extent to which health workers in some settings were furloughed during the pandemic as access to basic health services was ‘paused’. Products for this work may include up to 2 manuscripts/reports focused on the surge and flex workforce expansion strategies undertaken by states and the extent to which health worker furloughs occurred at the height of the pandemic that resulted from ‘pausing’ some routine health services.

Promote the 2018 NSSRN

Promoting the Availability and Use of the 2018 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN) Data

Working collaboratively with a noted nursing workforce researcher, HWTAC will develop 2 manuscripts for publication in a peer-reviewed journal based on analysis of the 2018 NSSRN data.

Manuscript 1 will be an analysis of the racial and ethnic composition of the RN workforce, including differences by earnings, work settings, education and geographic region.

Manuscript 2 will examine characteristics of nurse practitioners and registered nurses working in primary care and geriatric care.

Models of Behavioral Health Care

Provide Data About the 4 Models of Behavioral Health Care

HWTAC will provide data and information about the 4 models of behavioral health care being studied by the University of Michigan’s Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center (BHWRC). The 4 behavioral health models of care are:

  • Behavioral health integration into primary care
  • Telehealth and its impact on behavioral health care delivery
  • The collaborative care model
  • Coordinated care for first episode psychosis

Analytic Capabilities for PCOs

Strengthening the Analytic Capabilities Of State Primary Care Officers (PCOs)

This project is designed to support the work of state PCOs by providing them with assistance focused on the development of technical skills that support effective completion of HRSA-funded activities, such as shortage area designations and primary care capacity assessments. This technical assistance will be provided using methods that include virtual workshops and the development of a PCO Resource Center that includes resources to assist them in their work.

Assistance to Planners, Policy Makers, and Researchers

Providing training and assistance to planners, policy makers and researchers on strategies that support effective health workforce data collection, analysis and dissemination

HWTAC will provide training and assistance to planners, policy makers, and other stakeholders with the information and skills they need to effectively collect, analyze, and disseminate information about the health workforce. To achieve this, HWTAC will identify the most pressing needs for technical assistance, and will use a variety of methods to address these needs, including webinars, virtual workshops, research briefs, issue-specific HWTAC webpages, and reports.

Assistance to Planners, Policy Makers, and Researchers

Providing Training and Assistance To Planners, Policy Makers and Researchers On Strategies That Support Effective Health Workforce Data Collection, Analysis and Dissemination

HWTAC will provide training and assistance to planners, policy makers and researchers, among others, on strategies that support effective health workforce planning and research. This initiative will employ a variety of methods, including webinars, virtual workshops, informational videos, research briefs, issue-specific HWTAC webpages, and reports.

Data Visualization

Enhancing health workforce research dissemination through the use of data visualization techniques

Data visualization, the presentation of data in graphical form, is a critical skill for researchers who must present findings from their work in ways that are easily understood and can inform decision making. HWTAC will assist researchers to better understand the value of visual communication, including common data visualization techniques, examples of how data can be presented in graphic formats, and to recognize potential advantages and disadvantages of different data visualization approaches.

Data Visualization

Enhancing Health Workforce Research Dissemination Through the Use Of Data Visualization Techniques

Data visualization, the presentation of data in graphical form, is a critical skill for researchers who must present findings from their work in ways that are easily understood and can inform decision making. HWTAC will assist researchers to better understand the value of visual communication, including common data visualization techniques, examples of how data can be presented in graphic formats, and to recognize potential advantages and disadvantages of different data visualization approaches.

Health Workforce Profile for the Virgin Islands

Developing a Health Workforce Profile For the Virgin Islands To Assess the Effects of Natural Disasters On Health Care Infrastructure, Health Workforce, and Demand for Health Services

In 2003, the Center for Health Workforce Studies, with support from the Health Resources and Services Administration, released a report on the health workforce of the Virgin Islands (VI). The profile drew from a wide array of data sources to describe the size and composition of VI’s health workforce. A number of issues emerged from this workforce assessment including concerns about the adequacy of the supply of health workers as well as the need to strengthen the educational pipeline into health professions.

To better understand current health workforce issues facing VI, the HWTAC will develop an updated VI health workforce profile. The updated profile will facilitate comparisons between workforce issues faced more than 15 years ago and those faced today. More importantly, it will support an assessment of the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria which struck VI in September of 2017 that considers both supply of health workers and demand for health services.

HRSA Nursing Supply/Demand Model

Technical Assistance To States Using the Web-based HRSA Nursing Supply and Demand Model

HWTAC will support users of the newly developed web-based HRSA nursing supply and demand model. Strategies for the provision of technical assistance include webinars, presentations and live demonstrations at conferences, and one-on-one assistance with individual users or groups of users. A key audience is state-based nursing researchers. HWTAC will also collect and compile feedback on user experience with the web-based model to share with HRSA.

HWRC Dissemination

Disseminating the Work Of HRSA-funded Health Workforce Research Centers

HWTAC will promote and disseminate research studies produced by the Health Workforce Research Centers (HWRCs) funded under cooperative agreements with HRSA’s National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. HWTAC will build on the dissemination efforts of each of the centers and implement strategies to reach wider audiences, including employers, educators, journalists, legislators and policy makers. HWTAC will host a Health Workforce Research Symposium and develop a health workforce research alert system.

HWRC Dissemination

Disseminating the work of HRSA-funded Health Workforce Research Centers

HWTAC will promote and disseminate research studies produced by the Health Workforce Research Centers (HWRCs) funded under cooperative agreements with HRSA’s National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. HWTAC will build on the dissemination efforts of each of the 6 centers and implement strategies to reach wider audiences, including employers, educators, journalists, legislators and policy makers.

Strategies Addressing Opioid Misuse

Providing Technical Assistance On State Workforce Strategies To Address Opioid Misuse

HWTAC will collect and disseminate information about state workforce strategies for the prevention and treatment of opioid misuse. The information will be hosted on the HWTAC website in a manner analogous to HWTAC’s State Health Workforce Data Collection Inventory.

Technical Assistance to HRSA POs

Providing Assistance to HRSA Project Officers

HWTAC will develop up to 6 modules for HRSA project officers (POs) and provide technical assistance to POs upon request. The modules will be on topics relevant to POs and will be delivered via online, self-paced courses and webinars. The technical assistance will focus on relevant topics, such as assisting HRSA grantees to effectively integrate Rapid Cycle Quality Improvement (RCQI) into their grant activities. The technical assistance will be provided to POs by email, telephone, webinars, and face-to-face meetings.

Technical Assistance to PCOs

Providing Assistance to Primary Care Officers

HWTAC will provide technical assistance to state Primary Care Officers (PCOs) on topics relevant to their Cooperative Agreements with HRSA. HWTAC will facilitate 6 virtual meetings/webinars for PCOs and develop a webpage dedicated to issues of interest to PCOs.

Webinar Series

Information About Health Workforce Data Collection, Analysis, and Dissemination

HWTAC will conduct a series of 6 webinars over the course of the year on topics of relevance to health workforce planners, policy makers, and other stakeholders interested in health workforce data collection, analysis, dissemination, and research.

Webinar topics include:

  • An Introduction to Health Workforce Planning
  • Advanced Data Visualization Strategies
  • An Application of Health Workforce Data Visualization
  • Coalition building for state health workforce data collection
  • Designing health workforce survey instruments
  • Research studies conducted by HRSA sponsored Health Workforce Research Centers (HWRCs)