Leadership

He has also worked for The Ohio State University,The State University of New York (Syracuse), and TNS. He has authored numerous technical reports, published in peer-reviewed journals, and presented at national meetings. Dr. Bhardwaj earned his Ph.D. at The Ohio State University.

Dr. Ajay Bhardwaj has led and managed multiple high-visibility projects in healthcare services research and international development during the last 20 years. He has served as Chief Scientist and Manager with full responsibilities for study design, execution, deliverables, and communication with Federal and state officials and subcontractors on many of these projects. Many of these projects figure among his career highlights, as they allowed him and his team to offer critical data for decision-making, serve a larger purpose of policymaking at the state, Federal, or corporate level, use advanced statistical tools and methodologies, and work with hard-to-reach populations. Many projects are still active under different names and methodology. A few of these projects are discussed:

Assessment of Alcohol and Substance Dependence Treatment Needs

Dr. Bhardwaj served as Project Director on a group of studies sponsored by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). These studies were conducted to assess the demand and need for alcohol and drug abuse treatment across all 50 states. States used the data in developing resource allocation models for distributing alcohol and drug treatment resources and completing block grant applications.
These studies included statewide adult household surveys, blind studies of pregnant women, and substance abuse indicator studies (SAIS). Dr. Bhardwaj’s work on these studies allowed him to work with State Department of Health officials in Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Nevada, and Virginia. These studies surveyed the general adult population and targeted populations of pregnant women and Native Americans. The North Dakota project enhanced his capabilities in working with hard-to-reach populations on the reservations, and the blind studies allowed him to work in clinical settings.
The statewide household surveys were collected using Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). Blind studies involved in-person interviewing and urinalysis. SAIS involved establishing relational database (alcohol and drug use data on mortality, arrest, hospital discharge, diseases, consumption measures, service utilization, funding, and automobile fatalities), using existing statewide databases from different departments.

Behavioral Healthcare Quality Measurement Tracking Surveys

Dr. Bhardwaj directed a companywide survey research program to measure Member and Provider satisfaction for APS Healthcare from 2002–2006. The results were used by corporate executives in tracking and managing key pieces of quality measurement. His team designed the APS Healthcare Satisfaction survey requirements in such a way that the data could be used to generate trends using past data and to accommodate the future needs. Data were collected by telephone on a quarterly basis. The quarterly nature of the effort allowed APS Healthcare to keep its finger on the pulse of its members and providers almost on a real-time basis. Work included questionnaire development, questionnaire translation, psychometric analysis, interviewer training, call center management, data file preparation, data analysis, reporting, and presentation.

Eliminating Mental Health Disparities (EMHD)

Dr. Bhardwaj served as Project Director on a major initiative designed to eliminate disparities and improve cultural/linguistic competencies in the area of mental health services. As part of the project, his team was responsible for providing leadership for an on-site cultural coordination center, managing an EMHD external workgroup, organizing a leadership academy and a policy summit, and offering training and technical assistance in this area to Asian, African American, Native American, and Latino organizations. The project was sponsored by the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This initiative supported the CMHS Transformation agenda by reflecting the Center’s values—that mental health systems transformation must include strategies to reduce and eliminate disparities in care. This effort was designed to address three critical areas: disparities associated with racial and ethnic groups, disparities created by geography, and disparities inherent to special populations (e.g., refugees, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and inter-sexed individuals).