Susan M. Skillman, MS

Senior Principal Research Scientist
Senior Deputy Director, UW CHWS

Biography:
Susan M. Skillman, MS, is the Senior Deputy Director of the University of Washington (UW) Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS). Her research covers a wide array of health workforce topics, including studies of the nursing, primary care, behavioral health, pharmacy, and oral health workforces; workforce demand across health care settings; education pathways for many health care occupations; as well as rural health workforce issues. Along with her UW CHWS position, Ms. Skillman has also been a research scientist with the UW WWAMI Rural Health Research Center where she served as Deputy Director from 2008-2013. She also concurrently served as Associate Director of the WWAMI Area Health Education Center from 2011-2018. Among current work, Ms. Skillman is an investigator on multiple nationally-focused research projects through the UW CHWS’ HRSA-funded Health Workforce Research Centers, and directs Washington’s Oral Health Workforce Tracking Program, funded jointly by the State and Delta Dental of Washington. She was the co-developer of Washington’s Health Workforce Sentinel Network with Washington’s Workforce Board, and collaborated with the Workforce Board on multiple legislated assessments of Washington’s behavioral health workforce. Ms. Skillman advises health workforce planning efforts at state and national levels, is on the advisory board of Washington’s Allied Health Center of Excellence, has served on planning committees for national and international conferences, and has held consulting roles with the National Governor’s Association and the Institute of Medicine, among others. Prior positions included ten years with the UW’s Department of Health Services and eight years with the Center for Health Studies at Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound. She graduated from Whitman College and completed graduate education at Washington State University.

Publications/Presentations