This issue of CHP/PCOR's Quarterly Update covers news from the Winter 2007 quarter and includes articles about:

• two Veterans Affairs-related items -- this year's recipient of the Under Secretary's Award for Health Science Research, and the Health Services Research & Development Annual meeting;
• the importance of proper HIV resource allocation: What method of allocation is best to ensure that HIV prevention and treatment program funds are being used effectively? One study looks at this issue from an aggregate-level analysis;
• the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging technology to examine how financial decisions are made. Researchers were able to identify specific areas of the brain that are activated prior to when individuals actually make purchasing decisions;
• the report series concerning the quality gap, as identified by the Institute of Medicine. Two recently-released reports about the quality gap in asthma care and healthcare-associated infections are covered;
• CHP/PCOR research activities and updates, including a year-in-review of the Patient Safety Research Group that examines the notion of safety culture;
• a Research in Brief selection that highlights recently-published CHP/PCOR research. This piece examines the public-private partnerships model used to improve health and welfare systems.

The newsletter also contains various other news items that may be of interest to our readers. Note to the reader: The newsletter is fully-navigational. Any text that is surrounded by a dashed box is clickable and will allow the reader to navigate the newsletter more efficiently. The end of each article contains a special symbol (§) that, when clicked, will take the reader back to the table of contents. Please feel free to contact Amber Hsiao with any questions.