Remembering Barbara Starfield
Welcome to a special tribute dedicated to Professor Barbara Starfield, the most influential figure in family medicine whose remarkable work and contributions positively influenced the perception of Primary Care as a fundamental element for communities well-being and global health.
It has been a decade since Professor Starfield passed away, on 10th June, 2011. Today we honour her memory and legacy with a special section full of inspiring stories, personal anecdotes and heartfelt messages from WONCA members and close colleagues. A special thanks to Dr Karen Kinder and everyone who made this tribute possible!
About Professor Barbara Starfield
Professor Barbara Starfield (1932-2011), a physician and health services researcher, was university distinguished professor and professor of health policy and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University. She is internationally known for her work in primary care, and her books are widely recognized as the seminal works in the field. She was instrumental in leading projects to develop important methodological tools, including the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT), the CHIP tools (to assess adolescent and child health status), and the Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups (ACGs) for assessment of diagnosed morbidity burdens reflecting degrees of co-morbidity. She was the co-founder and first president of the International Society for Equity in Health, a scientific organization devoted to dissemination of knowledge about the determinants of inequity in health and ways to eliminate them. Her work focused on quality of care, health status assessment, primary care evaluation, and equity in health, She was a member of the Institute of Medicine, serving on its governing council. She was a member of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics and many other government and professional committees and groups.
The Barbara Starfield collection