CRANBURY, N.J., Sept. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®), the leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to issues in managed care, is proud to announce that Aaron L. Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D., has been honored with the 2026 AJMC Seema S. Sonnad Emerging Leader in Managed Care Research Award. The award was presented during AJMC’s Awards Dinner in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026.
The award was established in 2015 in memory of Seema S. Sonnad, Ph.D., an esteemed associate editor of AJMC who dedicated herself to mentoring the field’s next generation of researchers. It pays tribute to the emerging researchers advancing managed care, recognizing those who share Dr. Sonnad’s passion for groundbreaking research and have the potential to reshape the future of health care. Her legacy continues to inspire the innovation and leadership the award celebrates.
Dr. Schwartz is an assistant professor of medical ethics and health policy at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is also a core investigator at the Center for Healthcare Evaluation, Research and Promotion and an attending physician at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia. A 2026-2028 National Academy of Medicine Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar, Dr. Schwartz has published his findings in top journals such as JAMA Internal Medicine, Health Affairs, BMJ, JAMA Health Forum and AJMC.
“Dr. Schwartz is precisely the kind of forward-thinking researcher this award was made for,” said Mike Hennessy Jr., president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences®, the parent company of AJMC. “He is looking beyond how care is delivered today to how it should be measured, paid for and improved tomorrow, and he is building the tools to get there. It is a privilege to honor Dr. Schwartz in Dr. Sonnad’s memory, and his vision is helping define where managed care goes next.”
Several of Dr. Schwartz’s claims-based measures of low-value care, which detect overuse directly in large administrative datasets, have been adopted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for use in accountable care programs. His prior authorization research found that roughly 40% of traditional Medicare spending would have required prior authorization by at least one of the five largest Medicare Advantage insurers. That work has informed the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission and the Lown Institute, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs used it to design policies for VA Community Care.
“Dr. Schwartz has made a number of important contributions, but I think the most important is his work on low-value care. He developed a number of novel ways of creating metrics for assessing low-value care and then has systematically worked to apply that to different organizations. One of the things which I think has really increased the impact of Aaron’s work is that he’s done a number of collaborations directly with insurers. He’s had separate partnerships with Humana, with Aetna, with Elevance, looking directly at questions related to low-value care and managed care,” said Kevin G. Volpp, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, who nominated Dr. Schwartz for the award.
Committee members singled out the depth and reach of Dr. Schwartz’s scholarship, particularly his practice of releasing code and technical guidance so that other researchers and organizations can put his measures to use. They also recognized his commitment to teaching and mentorship, including redesigning Penn’s core health economics course, which earned him the program’s teaching award.
About The American Journal of Managed Care
The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) is a multimedia, peer-reviewed, MEDLINE-indexed journal that keeps industry leaders on the forefront of health policy by sharing digital research relevant to decision-makers. Other brands in the AJMC family include The American Journal of Accountable Care® and Evidence-Based Oncology™. These comprehensive multimedia brands bring together views from payers, providers, policymakers and other industry leaders in managed care. AJMC is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service health care engagement network in North America, dedicated to delivering trusted health care news, education and data-informed insights to over 7 million health care decision-makers across multiple channels.
About MJH Life Sciences
MJH Life Sciences is the largest privately held, independent, full-service health care engagement network in North America, dedicated to delivering trusted health care news, education and data-informed insights to over 7 million health care decision-makers across multiple channels. With a diverse portfolio of leading brands, events and multimedia solutions, we connect health care professionals with the latest advancements and expert perspectives. Committed to driving meaningful change in health care, we strive to make an impact through innovation and excellence. For more information about MJH, visit https://www.mjhlifesciences.com/.
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