The Miller School of Medicine’s Dr. Glenn Flores Honored for Exceptional Lifetime Achievements in Pediatric Research
The Department of Pediatrics chair has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Society for Pediatric Research’s Douglas K. Richardson Award for Perinatal and Pediatric Health Care Research.
Glenn Flores, M.D., has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Society for Pediatric Research’s Douglas K. Richardson Award for Perinatal and Pediatric Health Care Research. The award recognizes investigators whose career-long contributions have fundamentally advanced health services research and improved care for children and families.
“I am deeply honored and humbled. The Richardson Award is a tremendously prestigious honor from the Society for Pediatric Research, recognizing an investigator’s lifetime achievements and significant contributions to child health,” said Dr. Flores, chair of the Department of Pediatrics and senior associate dean of child health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “It is particularly meaningful because prior Richardson Award recipients include some of the most accomplished and illustrious researchers in the field of pediatrics.”
A Career Dedicated to Better Health for Children
Across more than 260 peer-reviewed publications and decades of work, Dr. Flores has shaped national understanding of how children access and experience health care.
His early research transformed national policy on language access. A landmark 2003 Pediatrics study meticulously documented interpreter errors and their clinical consequences. The findings directly influenced federal standards, Joint Commission requirements and widespread adoption of professional medical interpreters.
Dr. Flores also led influential studies demonstrating persistent racial and ethnic disparities in childhood health outcomes, even after accounting for socioeconomic factors. His 2002 JAMA paper on Latino child health remains one of the definitive syntheses in the field.
His research extends beyond identifying problems. Dr. Flores develops solutions. His National Institutes of Health‑funded Kids’ HELP randomized controlled trial demonstrated that parent mentors are dramatically more effective than traditional Medicaid/CHIP outreach in securing insurance for uninsured children. The results informed federal legislation he authored, leading to a $120 million CMS program that helped establish parent‑mentor initiatives in 11 states and the Cherokee Nation.
The recipient of the David P. Rall Award for Advocacy in Public Health bestowed by the American Public Health Association, Dr. Flores has been an invited expert and national advisory committee member for Sesame Workshop and a panelist on the JAMA Network Open listening session on addressing structural racism in health care.
Impact on Clinical Care and National Policy
Studies led by Dr. Flores have repeatedly shown the profound consequences of childhood uninsurance: higher unmet needs, poorer health status, financial strain for families and loss of work among caregivers. A subsequent longitudinal study showed that gaining insurance reverses these trends by reducing unmet needs, improving health outcomes, increasing access to primary care and decreasing family financial burden.
“Getting kids health insurance coverage not only improves their outcomes,” Dr. Flores said, “but it will save our nation billions, based on our projections. I think that would be the biggest single step we could take.”
He taught me to hold myself to the highest possible standards. I still hear his supportive but firm voice pushing me to do my very best.”
Dr. Josh Sharfstein, vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
His work has driven evidence‑based policy change at multiple levels, influencing Medicaid/CHIP outreach strategies, clinical communication standards and national approaches to childhood obesity and mental health.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health turned to Dr. Flores for a commissioned review of the efficacy of medical interpreter services. The study, published in Medical Care Research and Review, has been cited more than 1,600 times, making it the most-cited article about language barriers in health care.
A Legacy of Mentorship
Beyond his research portfolio, Dr. Flores is widely regarded as one of the most influential mentors in academic pediatrics. He has served as primary research mentor for countless trainees, including faculty members, fellows, residents and medical students, many of whom now lead major divisions, residency programs, research institutes and national health equity efforts.
“He taught me to hold myself to the highest possible standards,” said Josh Sharfstein, M.D., vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a former mentee. “Now, 25 years later, I still hear his supportive but firm voice pushing me to do my very best.”
Dr. Flores’s research has transformed national understanding of pediatric health care utilization, particularly for underserved children.
Dr. Elena Fuentes‑Afflick, chief scientific officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges
Dr. Flores directs the NIH‑supported Research in Academic Pediatric Investigator Development (RAPID) Program, which has supported more than 120 early-career investigators from diverse backgrounds.
“I cannot imagine a better qualified candidate for the 2026 SPR Douglas K. Richardson Award,” wrote Dr. Mark Schuster, who earned the award in 2014. “Dr. Flores has made substantive research contributions in all four areas encompassed by the Richardson Award, and his contributions to pediatric health services research have been both significant and enduring.”
“Dr. Flores has built a remarkable record of research excellence,” said Elena Fuentes‑Afflick, M.D., M.P.H., chief scientific officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges. “His work has substantively advanced all four domains of the Richardson Award. Dr. Flores’s research has transformed national understanding of pediatric health care utilization, particularly for underserved children.”
The Douglas K. Richardson Award recognizes investigators whose work changes systems. Dr. Flores’ career has done exactly that. Through rigorous science, compassionate advocacy and a commitment to mentorship, he has improved health care delivery for millions of children, influenced federal policy and shaped the next generation of pediatric leaders.
Tags: Batchelor Children's Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Glenn Flores, Health Equity, Mailman Center for Child Development, pediatrics, Society for Pediatric Research