Dana B. Mukamel has received the 1997 James G. Zimmer Award for Excellence in Research in Aging and Disability from the American Public Health Association. The award, given by the association's Gerontological Health Section, honors the research of new investigators.

Mukamel is the David Stewart Assistant Professor of Health Policy in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She received the award for her research in the quality and economics of health care for the elderly.

Mukamel's research project and paper, titled "Evaluating Nursing Homes' Quality of Care Based on Risk-Adjusted Outcomes," focus on ways to develop and apply quality measures in nursing homes. She also studies the costs of providing high-quality long-term care, financing of long-term-care programs for the elderly, and their cost effectiveness.

The James G. Zimmer Award is intended to recognize and further the careers of future leaders in research. The criteria for selection include the importance of the topic, the rigor of the design, the quality of writing, and the potential benefit to the field.

Mukamel was one of four individuals to receive awards in the 750-member Gerontological Health Section. The American Public Health Association has more than 30,000 members.