SCHOOL OF MEDICINE       FIND PEOPLE       FIND A UPMC DOCTOR

Search Faculty

Division of  General Internal Medicine

Archived Newsletter:  July 2018

Feature Articles

Director of the Data Center of the Center for Research on Health Care

On March 1, Kaleab Z. Abebe, PhD, became Director of the Data Center of the Center for Research on Health Care (CRHC-DC), which provides Web design, database development, data management, and statistical analysis services across the University. Kaleab is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Biostatistics, and Clinical and Translational Science, and the founding director of the Center for Clinical Trials and Data Coordination (CCDC). He joined the CRHC-DC as a Faculty Statistician in 2009, and collaborated on multiple studies as lead biostatistician before becoming the PI of Data Coordinating Centers for the HALT-PKD Network, comprising two, 7-site RCTs evaluating the impact of hypertensive medications and blood pressure control on polycystic kidney disease, as well as for an early phase RCT assessing safety and tolerability of metformin in PKD. He also oversees statistical cores of several comparative-effectiveness studies for gestational diabetes, collaborative care, HIV, and adolescent medicine.

Kaleab took over from Doris M. Rubio, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Biostatistics, Nursing, and Clinical and Translational Science, and Co-Director of the Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE). Doris became the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty on September 1, 2017. In this role, Doris designs and implements professional development opportunities for faculty, and helps the Office of the Provost ensure a productive work environment for all faculty. Thank you, Doris, for your 16 years of skillful, dedicated leadership to the CRHC and the Division!

Resident Recruitment 2017-2018

Congratulations to this year’s tremendous residency recruitment team, including the Office of Medical Education personnel and the faculty, chief residents, and housestaff members who contributed to the recruitment effort.

Program leaders include Mark T. Gladwin, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine; Jane M. Liebschutz, MD, MPH, FACP, Division Chief for Internal Medicine; Melissa McNeil, MD, MPH, vice chair for education; Jennifer Corbelli, MD, MS, director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside; Alda Maria Gonzaga, MD, MS, director of the Medicine-Pediatrics Training Program at UPMC Montefiore; and Julie McCausland, MD, MS, director of the Transitional Year Program at UPMC Montefiore.

We are especially grateful for the team effort that took place to make this one of the most successful recruitment seasons ever.

With the continuation of the Shadyside program merging with the UPMC Montefiore/Presbyterian program, the recruitment efforts were again combined:

  • The Categorical Program had 4,580 applicants, of whom 364 were interviewed, and 52 were matched for the Categorical program and 8 for the Preliminary Year.
  • The Medicine-Pediatrics Training Program had 298 applicants, of whom 61 were interviewed and 4 were matched.
  • The Transitional Year Program had 1,843 applicants; 8 positions were filled in the first round and the remaining two positions were filled via the SOAP process.
Annual Pittsburgh Magazine Top Doctors

These physicians were recognized by Pittsburgh Magazine in their annual Top Doctors issue.

Robert M. Arnold Lori Bigi D. Michael Elnicki Michael Fine
Peggy B. Hasley Erika L. Hoffman Franziska Jovin Wishwa N. Kapoor
William Levin Natalia Morone 
Academic Internal Medicine Week 2018

The Annual Academic Internal Medicine Week was held in San Antonio, Texas, in March. The General Internal Medicine Division were active participants once again and we want to acknowledge all those who participated that week. (click the link for a complete list of workshops and presentations: Academic Internal Medicine Week March 18). We also want to acknowledge Dr. Arnold for his award during the conference.

Robert Arnold, MD, medical director, UPMC Palliative and Supportive Institute, was honored with the ASP Eric G. Neilson, MD, Distinguished Professor Award. This award is presented annually to a physician who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and support of specialty internal medicine.

Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting

The 2018 Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) Annual Meeting was held in Denver, Colorado, in April. The Division of General Internal Medicine was well represented and we want to acknowledge the following recipients of SGIM Awards.

Carla Spagnoletti, MD, MS, was the recipient of the Society of General Internal Medicine’s Mid-Career Education Mentorship Award. This award recognizes outstanding mid-career clinician educators actively engaged in education research as well as mentorship of junior educators. The award is a national recognition of long standing interest and success in mentoring at all levels.

Jodie Bryk, MD, and the Division of General Internal Medicine Enhanced Care Program was awarded the SGIM 2018 Quality and Practice Innovation Award, which recognizes general internists and their organization that have successfully developed and implemented innovative role-model systems of practice improvement in ambulatory or clinical practice.

Walid F. Gellad, MD, MPH, received the 2018 Leadership Award from the Association of Chiefs and Leaders of General Internal Medicine. This award recognizes skills in leadership in areas of academic medicine, including clinical, educational, research or administrative efforts.

Yael Schenker, MD, received the Best Geriatrics Oral Abstract for “Associations Between Polypharmacy, Symptom Burden, and Quality of Life in Patients with Advanced, Life-Limited Illness.”

Please see attachment for further news of SGIM participants.

Academy of Women’s Health Award

Melissa McNeil, MD, MPH, was awarded the Bernadine Healy Award for Visionary Leadership in Women’s Health from the Academy of Women’s Health. The national honor was presented in early May during the 25th Anniversary Congress on Women’s Health in Washington, D.C. Dr. McNeil is Associate Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, Chief of the Section of Women’s Health, and Vice Chair of Education within the Department of Medicine.

Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Award

Jane Schell, MD, FNKF, Assistant Professor of Medicine and a member of the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, was recently awarded an early career physician award from the Hastings Center. The Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute, cosponsors the awards with the Cunniff-Dixon Foundation whose mission is to enrich the relationship between physicians and patients who are near the end of life.

Dr. Schell was given the award for her dedication to improving the care of seriously ill patients with kidney disease. The prestigious national award is given annually to five palliative care doctors who have demonstrated exemplary care and initiative with patients who are near the end of life. Dr. Schell developed NephroTalk, a nationally recognized curriculum that prepares nephrology fellows to have difficult conversations with patients and families, including end-of-life discussions.

John C. Liebeskind Early Career Scholar Award

Jessica S. Merlin, MD, PhD, MBA, was given the 2018 John C. Liebeskind Early Career Scholar Award by the American Pain Society. The John C. Liebeskind Early Career Scholar Award was named in 1998 to honor the memory of John C. Liebeskind, PhD, a past president of APS who was a noted pain researcher, scientist, and teacher. The Early Career Scholar Award recognizes early career achievements that have made outstanding contributions to pain scholarship.

Dr. Merlin joined DGIM in September 2017 as an Associate Professor in the tenure stream. She has been highly productive in her research with a track record of publications in AIDS and pain-related journals. Her research focus is at the intersection of HIV medication, chronic pain, mental health and palliative care. Her K23 award is on behavior intervention for chronic pain in individuals with HIV.

I CARE Award for LGBT Veteran Services, VA

John Blosnich, PhD, MPH, was selected to receive an I CARE Award for outstanding LGBT Veteran service, which recognizes extraordinary efforts made by VA employees to provide excellent care to Veterans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and related identities at the VA. This award is sponsored by the LGBT Health Program, Office of Patient Care Services, Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Blosnich is a Core Investigator and VA HSR&D Career Development Awardee and a research health scientist with the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. His research areas of expertise include interpersonal and self-directed violence among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. His program of research focuses on LGBT veterans, with specific attention to suicide prevention and examining ways that patients’ social determinants of health data can be integrated into adaptive health care systems. His five-year VA Health Services Research & Development Career Development Award is the first to study transgender health nationally across the VA.

The Institute for Clinical Research Education Awards

The Institute for Clinical Research Education recognized graduates of their degree programs, training programs, and career development programs at the ICRE Commencement Ceremony held on May 22nd. This event honored the 79 graduates who have completed an ICRE program within the last academic year. Congratulations to all graduates and a special note of thanks to the event’s keynote speaker, Dr. Matthew Rosengart. We also want to recognize the following award winners.

Distinguished Alumnus Award in Medical Education
Award Information: Nominations and voting done by Medical Education Curriculum Committee
Winner: Danelle Cayea, MD, MS

Excellence in Teaching Award
Award information: Nominations are submitting by ICRE students and trainees. Winner voted on by ICRE Program Directors.
Winner: Galen E. Switzer, PhD

Distinguished Mentor Awards
Award information: Nominations are submitting by ICRE students and trainees. Winners voted on by ICRE Program Directors.
Winner: Sonya Borrero, MD, MS
Winner: Rohit Aggarwal, MD, MS

Distinguished Alumnus Award in Clinical Research
Award information: Nominations are submitting by ICRE students and trainees. Winner voted on by ICRE Program Directors.
Winner: Alison Morris, MD, MS

Senior Resident Dinner and Awards

The Division of General Internal Medicine’s Senior Resident Dinner and Awards was help on Monday, June 4, 2018. Please click on the links below for details on the awards and where the senior residents go from here. Congratulations to all!

Professional Recognition

Awards and Professional Recognition

Tanya Nikiforova, MD, was the 1st place winner in the Department of Medicine Fellowship Teaching Competition. She is also this year’s recipient of the Frank J. Kroboth Medical Education Award for the most outstanding plenary presentation at the UPMC Annual GME Leadership Conference.

Amar Bansal, MD, won the “Clinical Junior Faculty Research Award” at the DOM Research Day for his abstract titled “Decisional satisfaction and perceptions of inpatient dialysis initiation.”

Jessica Merlin, MD, PhD, MBA, was named the recipient of the 2018 AMERSA New Investigator/Educator Award. This award is designed to recognize and encourage new investigators and educators in the field of substance use.

Jennifer Corbelli, MD, and Kristian Feterik, MD, were recently announced as 2018-2019 Lead Scholars. The ACLGIM LEAD program is designed for junior to mid-career faculty who wish to further develop their leadership skills.

Kristen Livesey, MD, was recently announced as a 2018-2019 Teach Scholar. The TEACH Certificate program was developed by SGIM’s Education Committee to address the needs of junior clinician educators. Participants earn a master teacher certificate.

Amy Farkas, MD, MS (3rd-year ACES Fellow) and Eliana Bonifacino, MD (2nd-year ACES Fellow) were selected as finalists for the Lipkin award at SGIM 2018 for their abstract, “Mentoring Women in Academic Medicine: A Systematic Review.”

Amol Koldekhar (MS4) was awarded the Clinical Medical Student Research Award at the Department of Medicine’s Annual Research Day for his poster presentation entitled “Associations of grip strength with mood symptoms and health-related quality of life among patients with systolic heart failure.”; Dr. Bruce Rollman was his project mentor, and DGIM member Dr. Kaleab Abebe, along with Amy Anderson and Bea Herbeck Belnap, were his co-authors.

Professional Boards, Committees and Organizations

Dio Kavalieratos, PhD, was appointed as the Co-Director of Palliative Care Initiatives for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In this role, he will coordinate activities related to research, quality improvement, and dissemination regarding palliative care, including the development of clinical guidelines for palliative care in CF.

Bruce Rollman, MD, MPH, was elected president of the American Psychosomatic Society (APS). Formed in 1942, its mission is to advance and integrate the scientific study of biological, psychological, behavioral and social factors in health and disease. Learn more about APS here and look this summer for the call for abstract submissions to their Annual Meeting, which will be held March 6-9, 2019, in Vancouver, BC.

Carla Spagnoletti, MD, MS, has been selected to the editorial board of Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM). The term of service for the JGIM Editorial Board is three years and began in April 2018.

Sonya Borrero, MD, MS, was invited to serve on the Pennsylvania Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which was signed into law in May 2018 by Governor Wolf. The committee will be made up of 15 members and headed by Dr. Rachel Levine, the PA Secretary of Health.

John Blosnich, PhD, MPH, was invited to join the National Center on Homelessness among Veterans as an affiliated researcher for a 3-year renewable term.

Presentations and Posters

The VA National Leadership Council was recently briefed on the following publication from
DGIM investigators and colleagues in the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP):

Radomski T, Bixler F, Zickmund S, Roman KL, Thorpe CT, Hale JA, Sileanu F, Hausmann LRM, Thorpe JM, Suda KJ, Stroupe KT, Gordon AJ, Good CB, Fine MJ, Gellad WF. “Physicians’ perspectives regarding prescription drug monitoring program use within the Department of Veterans Affairs: a multi-state qualitative study.” J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Mar 8. [Epub ahead of print]

The following poster was presented at The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, held in Boston, MA, from March 4th through the 7th:

“T Cell Subsets Associated with Incident Diabetes Risk in HIV+ and HIV-Veterans,” by Wyatt J. McDonnell, Kathleen McGinnis, Kaku So-Armah, Melissa Wellons, Glory Koerbel, Jeffrey Blume, Margaret F. Doyle, Nels C Olson, Russell, Tracy, Amy C. Justice, Simon Mallal, Mathew Freiberg, John R. Koethe.

Media

Work by Ann Marie Rosland, MD, MS, focusing on peer specialists was featured in the inaugural edition of the national QUERI Veterans’ Perspectives electronic newsletter.

Dr. Rosland also had work featured in Reuters: Friends and family may help counter diabetes stress. The original research was published in Diabetes Care in June 2018 (“Diabetes distress and glycemic control: the buffering effect of autonomy support from important family members and friends”).

Walid Gellad, MD, MPH, was featured in a national VA Office of Research and Development “Chat with our Experts” focused on risks faced by Veterans who use VA and Medicare Part D to fill opioid prescriptions. Dr. Gellad was also recently interviewed for a WPXI feature on the topic of doctors getting payments from drug and medical device companies.

Various research by DGIM investigators (Borrero, Fine, Hausmann, Rodriguez, and Switzer) was featured in the VA’s Health Services Research and Development recent publication, Spotlight on Health Equity and Disparities Research.

Walid Gellad, MD, MPH, and C. Bernie Good, MD, MPH, were co-authors on the recently selected VA HSR&D Best Research Paper of the Year for 2017 [Thorpe JM, Thorpe CT, Gellad WF, Good CB, Hanlon JT, Mor MK, Pleis JR, Schleiden LJ, Van Houtven CH. Dual health care system use and high-risk prescribing in patients with dementia: a national cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2017 Feb 7;166(3):157-163].

A paper co-authored in 2015 by DGIM investigators Walid Gellad, MD, MPH, C. Bernie Good, MD, MPH, and Michael Fine, MD, MSc, informed the Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes for Older Adults published by the American Diabetes Association in 2018 [Thorpe CT, Gellad WF, Good CB, Zhang S, Zhao X, Mor M, Fine MJ. Tight glycemic control and use of hypoglycemic medications in older veterans with type 2 diabetes and comorbid dementia. Diabetes Care. 2015 Apr;38(4):588-95].

Promotions and Tenure

Professor of Medicine

Carla L. Spagnoletti, MD, MS, was promoted to the rank of professor of medicine. Dr. Spagnoletti directs the Academic Clinician Educator Scholars Fellowship in General Internal Medicine and the Masters and Certificate Programs in Medical Education through the Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE). She is also co-director of the Leadership and Discovery (LEAD) resident research program and course director for Advanced Medical Interviewing in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM). She leads the division’s Patient Experiences Committee and is a founding member of the UPMC Patient Experiences Physician Advisory Council. She is chair-elect of the Society of General Internal Medicine Education Committee.
Dr. Spagnoletti received her MD from UPSOM in 2001, completed her residency in Internal Medicine/Women’s Health at UPMC in 2004, her fellowship in general internal medicine/women’s health at VA Pittsburgh and UPSOM in 2006, and earned a Master’s of Science in Medical Education from the University of Pittsburgh in 2006. She is a recent recipient of SGIM’s Mid-Career Education Mentorship Award in 2018 and SGIM’s Scholarship in Medical Education Award in 2015, the Leadership Award from the Association of Chiefs and Leaders in Internal Medicine in 2016, and the William I. Cohen Award for Excellence in Clinical Instruction from UPSOM in 2017. She has mentored dozens of residents, fellows, and junior faculty on their medical education research. Her own scholarly work focuses on patient–doctor communication and patient experiences, for which she has secured both internal and foundational funding.

Peggy Hasley, MD, MHSc, was promoted to the rank of professor of medicine. Dr. Hasley is a key clinical faculty member of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency Program, in which she is the Associate Program Director for Ambulatory Medicine. She has served as advisor and mentor for hundreds of residents over the years. She created and still leads the Generalist Track within the residency program. In addition she has created or co-created curricula in care for vulnerable populations including the “no-show” patient and the LGBT population. She has also developed curricula in musculoskeletal medicine, large joint aspiration and injection, efficient and effective ambulatory documentation in the electronic health record, and a high value cost conscious care curriculum. She is the co-creator of a program to train residents to work in the Patient-Centered Medical Home which includes training in population medicine, inter-visit telephone medicine, and interdisciplinary team based care. She is also responsible for the creation, development, and direction of a unique curriculum in health policy and advocacy for the residency program. Dr. Hasley earned her medical degree and completed her residency and fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh/UPMC.

Associate Professor of Medicine

Jennifer Corbelli, MD, MS, was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine. Dr. Corbelli is a clinician-educator and the Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program. She is actively involved in teaching medical students in all four years of training, and has presented nationally and published work in a variety of different research content areas including systematic review, medical education research such as curriculum development and evaluation, and women’s health. In addition, she actively mentors residents and fellows in their own research and education projects. Dr. Corbelli practices primary care medicine at UPMC Montefiore Hospital, with a particular focus on women’s health including provision of contraception services. She also attends on the hospital service at UPMC Montefiore. She has a special interest in health care for the underserved and volunteers regularly at the Birmingham Free Clinic and the Women’s Shelter and Center of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Corbelli earned her medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 2007 and completed her residency here at UPMC and a VA Women’s Health Fellowship from the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. She also earned an MS in Medical Education from the University of Pittsburgh.

Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine
Jodie Bryk, MD
Natasha Parekh, MD

ICRE Staff

In recognition of her broadening skillset, we congratulate Natalie Vazquez, MFA, on being promoted to the role of “Video Production Specialist and Multimedia Designer.” We have all appreciated Natalie’s “magic” as we enjoy the electronic slides on the Parkvale news and media screens. Over the past year Natalie has also lent her skills to development of graphics for grant proposals and publications. In the coming months, you can look forward to seeing more of Natalie’s work displayed in the highly anticipated revitalization of the ICRE website. Congratulations, Natalie!

Juliana Tambellini is a name that has become synonymous with the ICRE. Juliana has truly become the “face” of the ICRE degree programs: She creates and executes strategies to keep a positive image. She forms and maintains relationships with members of the public, and University leadership to advocate for our students and programs. She is the driving force behind new business opportunities—in our case, new course offerings and track offerings to keep up with current demands. She oversees communication in a variety of forums, like social media and eNews Boards, and she makes sure that any promotional materials are in line with the ICRE’s image and goals. We congratulate Juliana on her promotion to “Assistant Director of Academic Programs and Media Relations.”

Faculty and Staff Changes

Welcome Aboard

Tripti Joshi, MBA, has joined DGIM for three months. She graduated from the Katz Business School MBA program and has prior Pitt working experience in the Payment Processing and Compliance Department. She is working as a Division accountant to support the Division’s financial accounting operation and faculty/staff funding management and expense processing.

Sara Carter, BA, joins the Department of Medicine’s Education Office as Fellowship Coordinator for the Hospice and Palliative Care Fellowship Program as well as for General Internal Medicine Fellowships (ACES and Clinical Research). Sara previously worked as an Academic Coordinator for the Department of Neurology and earned her BA in International Politics from Pennsylvania State University. She is excited to meet everyone and get started in her new role!

Janet Parham, is a new team member in the Department of Medicine’s Office of Education, Oakland Campus, as the academic support coordinator for the Residency Program. Janet joined us in April 2018 after seven years of working in education in a school district. She brings a wealth of experience in administrative functions, office management and operations. Janet previously owned a Cosmetic and Skin Care company, for which she obtained her PA State license as an esthetician and certifications in medical esthetics. She has volunteered with the “Look Good Feel Better” program from the American Cancer Society for eight years as a beauty trainer.

Xinmei Zhu, PhD, MS, joined the ICRE in January as a data analyst for Walid Gellad’s R01. She previously worked in Pitt’s School of Social Work where she collaborated with the data manager and PIs within the Child Welfare Education and Research Programs to create data analysis plans, and to perform data quality assurance and statistical analysis.

Marissa Consolmagno is the new Administrative Manager for the Section of Palliative Care. Marissa completed her undergraduate degree in Health Policy and Administration at The Pennsylvania State University. Before joining the team, she spent five years with St. Clair Medical Services working with physician practices.

Ashley Wills is a new CRNP in the Magee Palliative Care Clinics. She joined the Section in November 2017.

Shelley McCormick is a new CRNP for the Magee Palliative Care Clinics. She joined the Section of Palliative Care in January 2018.

Megan Dooley is the new Degree Program’s Student Services Coordinator. Megan will assist our degree program students with enrollment, graduate, admissions and other academic needs. She has an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts from Washtenaw Community College and she has six plus years of administrative experience. Prior to her move to the University of Pittsburgh she held a job with JLL at the Google Ann Arbor headquarters in Michigan.

Fond Farewell
Minuet Kurjakovic
Jessica Poli (July)
Melanie Robbins-Ong, MD
Sharon Stover, RN

Grants and Funding

Grants

Subject: Identifying Predictors of Poor Health-Related Quality of Life among Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donors
PI: Galen E. Switzer, PhD
Sponsor: NHLBI
Purpose: This R01 project focuses on the physical, psychological, and emotional experiences of children who donate stem cells to an ill sibling. We will be collecting information by telephone interview from (a) 409 child donors (ages 5-18), (b) 326 nondonor siblings from the same families, and (c) their parents/caregivers before, four weeks after, 6 months after and one year after they donate. The telephone interviews will focus on how the child experiences the donation physically and psychologically, how it affects their relationship with their sibling, and how having a donor child and an ill child affect the family as a whole. Findings will (a) help us identify what factors are related to better or worse quality-of-life for the donor following donation, and (b) provide information that will help us design interventions to improve quality-of-life in donors and their families.

Subject: Development of a Patient-Centered Metric of Low-Value Prescribing in Older Adults
Principal Investigator: Thomas Radomski, MD, MS & Walid Gellad, MD, MPH
Sponsor: Pittsburgh Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center Pilot Funding Program
Purpose of Grant: To generate the qualitative preliminary data necessary to develop a metric that will reliably characterize low-value prescribing in older adults from the perspectives of patients and caregivers.

Subject: Comparative Effectiveness of Adding Family Supporter Training and Engagement to a CHW-Led Intervention to Improve Behavioral Management of Multiple Risk Factors for Diabetes Complications
Principal Investigator: Ann-Marie Rosland, MD, MS
Sponsor: NIDDK
Purpose of Grant: We will compare how a family supporter-focused vs. individual-focused diabetes education and management intervention delivered by Community Health Workers to urban minority adults with diabetes impacts short and long term diabetes health.

Subject: VHA Equity Explorer: Building an Interactive Equity Dashboard
Principal Investigator: Leslie Hausmann, PhD
Sponsor: VA Innovators Network Spark-Seed-Spread Innovation Investment
Purpose of Grant: The goal of this project is to create a working prototype of a user-friendly data visualization tool (i.e., an interactive equity dashboard) to enable VA decision-makers to identify differences in quality or health outcomes based on vulnerable group membership.

Subject: Development of a Predictive Model for Opioid Overdoses in Allegheny County
Principal Investigator: Walid Gellad, MD, MPH
Sponsor: RK Mellon Foundation
Purpose of Grant: The goal of this project is to work with the Allegheny Department of Human Services to develop machine learning algorithms to predict opioid overdoses using all human services data available in the County.

Subject: Patterns of Alcohol Use and Alcohol-Related Care among Transgender Persons
Principal Investigator: John Blosnich, PhD, MPH (Co-PI)
Sponsor: NIAAA
Purpose of Grant: Transgender persons are a vulnerable and stigmatized population at risk for health and health care disparities. The proposed study will describe patterns of alcohol use and receipt of alcohol-related care in a large sample of transgender adults and to begin to identify mediators and moderators suggesting intervention targets. Findings will lay the foundation for intervention research aimed at reducing alcohol use and its related risks in this vulnerable population and the study will pioneer transgender health research processes related to alcohol use that will be scalable to other healthcare systems.

Funding

Sonya Borrero, MD, MS, received operational funding from VA Women’s Health Services to review established preconception health measures that are indicators of pregnancy outcomes for women Veterans.

Walid Gellad, MD, MPH, received operational funding from the VA Center for Medication Safety to support fellowship training and partnered medication safety initiatives.

John Blosnich, PhD, MPH, is Co-I on a new VA HSR&D Merit Award: “Understanding Hormone Therapy Care Received by Transgender Veterans in VHA” (PI: Guneet Jasuja).

Ann-Marie Rosland, MD, MS, is Co-I on a new HSR&D Pilot Award: “Segmenting High-Need, High-Cost Veterans Into Potentially Actionable Subgroups,” led by CHERP Philadelphia investigator, Amol Navathe, MD, PhD.

Recent Publications

2018 Publications (January-June)
  1. Abebe KZ, Jones KA, Rofey D, McCauley HL, Clark DB, Dick R, Gmelin T, Talis J, Anderson J, Chugani C, Algarroba G, Antonio A, Bee C, Edwards C, Lethihet N, Macak J, Paley J, Torres I, Van Dusen C, Miller E. A cluster-randomized trial of a college health center-based alcohol and sexual violence intervention (GIFTSS): Design, rationale, and baseline sample. Contemp Clin Trials. 2018 Feb;65:130-143.
  2. Agarwal V, Bump GM, Heller MT, Chen LW, Branstetter BF 4th, Amesur NB, Hughes MA. Do Residency Selection Factors Predict Radiology Resident Performance? Acad Radiol. 2018 Mar;25(3):397-402.
  3. Agénor M, Pérez AE, Peitzmeier SM, Borrero S. Racial/ethnic disparities in human papillomavirus vaccination initiation and completion among U.S. women in the post-Affordable Care Act era. Ethn Health. 2018 Jan 18:1-15. [Epub ahead of print]
  4. Ahmad S, Munir MB, Sharbaugh MS, Althouse AD, Pasupula DK, Saba S. Causes and predictors of 30-day readmission after cardiovascular implantable electronic devices implantation: Insights from Nationwide Readmissions Database. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2018 Mar;29(3):456-462.
  5. Amico KR, Mugavero M, Krousel-Wood MA, Bosworth HB, Merlin JS. Advantages to Using Social-Behavioral Models of Medication Adherence in Research and Practice. J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Feb;33(2):207-215.
  6. Anderson TS, Lo-Ciganic WH, Gellad WF, Zhang R, Huskamp HA, Choudhry NK, Chang CH, Richards-Shubik S, Guclu H, Jones B, Donohue JM. Patterns and predictors of physician adoption of new cardiovascular drugs. Healthc (Amst). 2018 Mar;6(1):33-40.
  7. Apostolova MH, Seaman CD, Comer DM, Yabes JG, Ragni MV. Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated With Hypertension in von Willebrand Disease. Clin Appl Thromb Hemost. 2018 Jan;24(1):93-99.
  8. Austin CA, Choudhury S, Lincoln T, Chang LH, Cox CE, Weaver MA, Hanson LC, Nelson JE, Carson SS. Rapid Response Events in Hospitalized Patients: Patient Symptoms and Clinician Communication. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2018 Mar;55(3):946-952.
  9. Bachhuber MA, Saloner B, LaRochelle M, Merlin JS, Maughan BC, Polsky D, Shaparin N, Murphy SM. Physician Time Burden Associated with Querying Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs. Pain Med. 2018 Mar 30. [Epub ahead of print]
  10. Bansal AD, Leonberg-Yoo A, Schell JO, Scherer JS, Jones CA. Ten Tips Nephrologists Wish the Palliative Care Team Knew About Caring for Patients with Kidney Disease. J Palliat Med. 2018 Apr;21(4):546-551.
  11. Bansal AD, Schell JO. A practical guide for the care of patients with end-stage renal disease near the end of life. Semin Dial. 2018 Mar;31(2):170-176.
  12. Barnato AE, Chang CH, Lave JR, Angus DC. The Paradox of End-of-Life Hospital Treatment Intensity among Black Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Palliat Med. 2018 Jan;21(1):69-77.
  13. Beasley A, Bakitas MA, Edwards R, Kavalieratos D. Models of non-hospice palliative care: a review. Ann Palliat Med. 2018 Apr 25. pii: apm.2018.03.11. [Epub ahead of print]
  14. Beer JC, Snitz BE, Chang CH, Loewenstein DA, Ganguli M. Does a cognitive stress test predict progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia equally well in clinical versus population-based settings? Int Psychogeriatr. 2018 Jan 16:1-11. [Epub ahead of print]
  15. Bensley KM, McGinnis KA, Fiellin DA, Gordon AJ, Kraemer KL, Bryant KJ, Edelman EJ, Crystal S, Gaither JR, Korthuis PT, Marshall BDL, Ornelas IJ, Chan KCG, Dombrowski JC, Fortney JC, Justice AC, Williams EC. Racial/ethnic differences in the association between alcohol use and mortality among men living with HIV. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2018 Jan 22;13(1):2.
  16. Birru Talabi M, Clowse MEB, Schwarz EB, Callegari LS, Moreland L, Borrero S. Family Planning Counseling for Women With Rheumatic Diseases. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2018 Feb;70(2):169-174.
  17. Blosnich JR, Cashy J, Gordon AJ, Shipherd JC, Kauth MR, Brown GR, Fine MJ. Using clinician text notes in electronic medical record data to validate transgender-related diagnosis codes. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2018 Apr 4. [Epub ahead of print]
  18. Blosnich JR, Friedman MR, Ho K. Remembering Patient Gender in Sexual Orientation-Based Research. JAMA Intern Med. 2018 Jan 1;178(1):151.
  19. Bove AM, Gough ST, Hausmann LRM. Providing no-cost transport to patients in an underserved area: Impact on access to physical therapy. Physiother Theory Pract. 2018 Mar 30:1-6. [Epub ahead of print]
  20. Bove AM, Smith KJ, Bise CG, Fritz JM, Childs J, Brennan GP, Abbott JH, Fitzgerald GK. Exercise, Manual Therapy, and Booster Sessions in Knee Osteoarthritis: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis From a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial. Phys Ther. 2018 Jan 1;98(1):16-27.
  21. Bramoweth AD, Germain A, Youk AO, Rodriguez KL, Chinman MJ. A hybrid type I trial to increase Veterans’ access to insomnia care: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2018 Jan 26;19(1):73.
  22. Braun WE, Abebe KZ, Brosnahan G, Patterson CG, Chapman AB, Harris PC, Hogan MC, Perrone RD, Torres VE, Miskulin DC, Steinman TI, Winklhofer FT, Rahbari-Oskoui FF, Czarnecki PG, Bae KT, Grantham JJ, Flessner MF, Schrier RW. ADPKD Progression in Patients With No Apparent Family History and No Mutation Detected by Sanger Sequencing. Am J Kidney Dis. 2018 Feb;71(2):294-296.
  23. Brooks M, Miller E, Abebe K, Mulvey E. The Observed Longitudinal Relationship between Future Orientation and Substance Use Among a Cohort of Youth with Serious Criminal Offenses. Subst Use Misuse. 2018 Mar 6:1-12. [Epub ahead of print]
  24. Brosnahan GM, Abebe KZ, Moore CG, Bae KT, Braun WE, Chapman AB, Flessner MF, Harris PC, Hogan MC, Perrone RD, Rahbari-Oskoui FF, Steinman TI, Torres VE, The Halt Pkd Investigators. Determinants of Progression in Early Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease – Is it Blood Pressure or Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone-System Blockade? Curr Hypertens Rev. 2018 Mar 21. [Epub ahead of print]
  25. Brosnahan GM, Abebe KZ, Moore CG, Rahbari-Oskoui FF, Bae KT, Grantham JJ, Schrier RW, Braun WE, Chapman AB, Flessner MF, Harris PC, Hogan MC, Perrone RD, Miskulin DC, Steinman TI, Torres VE; HALT-PKD Trial Investigators. Patterns of Kidney Function Decline in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease: A Post Hoc Analysis From the HALT-PKD Trials. Am J Kidney Dis. 2018 May;71(5):666-676.
  26. Brown JB, Smith KJ, Gestring ML, Rosengart MR, Billiar TR, Peitzman AB, Sperry JL, Weissman JS. Comparing the Air Medical Prehospital Triage Score With Current Practice for Triage of Injured Patients to Helicopter Emergency Medical Services: A Cost-effectiveness Analysis. JAMA Surg. 2018 Mar 1;153(3):261-268.
  27. Bryce CL, Chang CCH, Ren Y, Yabes J, Zenarosa G, Iyer A, Tomko H, Squires RH, Roberts MS. Using time-varying models to estimate post-transplant survival in pediatric liver transplant recipients. PLoS One. 2018 May 31;13(5):e0198132.
  28. Bryk J, Fischer GS, Lyons A, Shroff S, Bui T, Simak D, Kapoor W. Improvement in Quality Metrics by the UPMC Enhanced Care Program: A Novel Super-Utilizer Program. Popul Health Manag. 2018 Jun;21(3):217-221.
  29. Capone GT, Chicoine B, Bulova P, Stephens M, Hart S, Crissman B, Videlefsky A, Myers K, Roizen N, Esbensen A, Peterson M, Santoro S, Woodward J, Martin B, Smith D; Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group DSMIG-USA Adult Health Care Workgroup. Co-occurring medical conditions in adults with Down syndrome: A systematic review toward the development of health care guidelines. Am J Med Genet A. 2018 Jan;176(1):116-133.
  30. Colasanti J, Lira MC, Cheng DM, Liebschutz JM, Tsui JI, Forman LS, Sullivan M, Walley AY, Bridden C, Root C, Podolsky M, Abrams C, Outlaw K, Harris CE, Armstrong WS, Samet JH, Del Rio C. Chronic Opioid Therapy in HIV-infected Patients: Patients’ Perspectives on Risks, Monitoring and Guidelines. Clin Infect Dis. 2018 May 31. [Epub ahead of print]
  31. Colditz JB, Chu KH, Switzer GE, Pelechrinis K, Primack BA. Online data to contextualize waterpipe tobacco smoking establishments surrounding large US universities. Health Informatics J. 2018 Feb 1:1460458217754242. [Epub ahead of print]
  32. Crihalmeanu T, Prabhu AV, Hansberry DR, Agarwal N, Fine MJ. Readability of online allergy and immunology educational resources for patients: Implications for physicians. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2018 Jan – Feb;6(1):286-288.e1.
  33. Cunningham TV, Scheunemann LP, Arnold RM, White D. How do clinicians prepare family members for the role of surrogate decision-maker? J Med Ethics. 2018 Jan;44(1):21-26.
  34. Dew MA, Switzer GE. Listening to Living Donors. Transplantation. 2018 May;102(5):718-719.
  35. Dezzutti CS, Park SY, Marks KM, Lawlor SE, Russo JR, Macio I, Chappell CA, Bunge KE. Heterogeneity of HIV-1 Replication in Ectocervical and Vaginal Tissue Ex Vivo. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2018 Feb;34(2):185-192.
  36. DiNardo D, Tilstra S, McNeil M, Follansbee W, Zimmer S, Farris C, Barnato AE. Identification of facilitators and barriers to residents’ use of a clinical reasoning tool. Diagnosis (Berl). 2018 Mar 28;5(1):21-28.
  37. Droppa K, Karim HT, Tudorascu DL, Karp JF, Reynolds CF 3rd, Aizenstein HJ, Butters MA. Association between change in brain gray matter volume, cognition, and depression severity: Pre- and post- antidepressant pharmacotherapy for late-life depression. J Psychiatr Res. 2017 Dec;95:129-134.
  38. Duong SQ, Yabes JG, Teuteberg JJ, Shellmer DA, Feingold B. Pediatric heart transplantation at adult-specialty centers in the United States: A multicenter registry analysis. Am J Transplant. 2018 May 14. [Epub ahead of print]
  39. Elnicki DM, Aiyer MK, Cannarozzi ML, Carbo A, Chelminski PR, Chheda SG, Chudgar SM, Harrell HE, Hood LC, Horn M, Johl K, Kane GC, McNeill DB, Muntz MD, Pereira AG, Stewart E, Tarantino H, Vu TR. An Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA)-Based Framework to Prepare Fourth-Year Medical Students for Internal Medicine Careers. J Gen Intern Med. 2017 Nov;32(11):1255-1260.
  40. Eyawo O, McGinnis KA, Justice AC, Fiellin DA, Hahn JA, Williams EC, Gordon AJ, Marshall BDL, Kraemer KL, Crystal S, Gaither JR, Edelman EJ, Bryant KJ, Tate JP; VACS Project team. Alcohol and Mortality: Combining Self-Reported (AUDIT-C) and Biomarker Detected (PEth) Alcohol Measures Among HIV Infected and Uninfected. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2018 Feb 1;77(2):135-143.
  41. Farkas AH, Vanderberg R, McNeil M, Rothenberger S, Contratto E, Dolan BM, Tilstra S. The Impact of Women’s Health Residency Tracks on Career Outcomes. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2018 Apr 5. [Epub ahead of print]
  42. Fassio V, Aspinall SL, Zhao X, Miller DR, Singh JA, Good CB, Cunningham FE. Trends in opioid and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory use and adverse events. Am J Manag Care. 2018 Mar 1;24(3):e61-e72.
  43. Feghali MN, Abebe KZ, Comer DM, Caritis S, Catov JM, Scifres CM. Pregnancy outcomes in women with an early diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2018 Apr;138:177-186.
  44. Flink-Bochacki R, Hamm ME, Borrero S, Chen BA, Achilles SL, Chang JC. Family Planning and Counseling Desires of Women Who Have Experienced Miscarriage. Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Apr;131(4):625-631.
  45. Gandhoke GS, Pandya YK, Jadhav AP, Jovin T, Friedlander RM, Smith KJ, Jankowitz BT. Cost of coils for intracranial aneurysms: clinical decision analysis for implementation of a capitation model. J Neurosurg. 2018 Jun;128(6):1792-1798.
  46. Ganguli M, Sun Z, McDade E, Snitz B, Hughes T, Jacobsen E, Chang CH. That’s Inappropriate! Social Norms in an Older Population-based Cohort. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2018 Apr-Jun;32(2):150-155.
  47. Garcia SL, Smith KJ, Palmer C. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of a Military Hearing Conservation Program. Mil Med. 2018 Feb 7. [Epub ahead of print]
  48. Gellad WF, James AE. Discounted Drugs for Needy Patients and Hospitals – Understanding the 340B Debate. N Engl J Med. 2018 Feb 8;378(6):501-503.
  49. Gellad WF, Thorpe JM, Zhao X, Thorpe CT, Sileanu FE, Cashy JP, Hale JA, Mor MK, Radomski TR, Hausmann LRM, Donohue JM, Gordon AJ, Suda KJ, Stroupe KT, Hanlon JT, Cunningham FE, Good CB, Fine MJ. Impact of Dual Use of Department of Veterans Affairs and Medicare Part D Drug Benefits on Potentially Unsafe Opioid Use. Am J Public Health. 2018 Feb;108(2):248-255.
  50. Giugale LE, Sakamoto S, Yabes J, Dunn SL, Krans EE. Unintended hysterotomy extension during caesarean delivery: risk factors and maternal morbidity. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2018 Mar 22:1-6. [Epub ahead of print]
  51. Gnatienko N, Freiberg MS, Blokhina E, Yaroslavtseva T, Bridden C, Cheng DM, Chaisson CE, Lioznov D, Bendiks S, Koerbel G, Coleman SM, Krupitsky E, Samet JH. Design of a randomized controlled trial of zinc supplementation to improve markers of mortality and HIV disease progression in HIV-positive drinkers in St. Petersburg, Russia. HIV Clin Trials. 2018 Jun;19(3):101-111.
  52. Good CB, Pogach LM. Should Metformin Be First-Line Therapy for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease?: Informed Patients Should Decide. JAMA Intern Med. 2018 Jun 4. [Epub ahead of print]
  53. Good CB, Hernandez I. Cost-effectiveness of the Adjuvanted Herpes Zoster Subunit Vaccine. JAMA Intern Med. 2018 Jun 1;178(6):873.
  54. Goodin BR, Owens MA, White DM, Strath LJ, Gonzalez C, Rainey RL, Okunbor JI, Heath SL, Turan JM, Merlin JS. Intersectional health-related stigma in persons living with HIV and chronic pain: implications for depressive symptoms. AIDS Care. 2018 May 30:1-8. [Epub ahead of print]
  55. Haliko S, Downs J, Mohan D, Arnold R, Barnato AE. Hospital-Based Physicians’ Intubation Decisions and Associated Mental Models when Managing a Critically and Terminally Ill Older Patient. Med Decis Making. 2018 Apr;38(3):344-354.
  56. Hamm M, Miller E, Jackson Foster L, Browne M, Borrero S. “The Financial Is the Main Issue, It’s Not Even the Child”: Exploring the Role of Finances in Men’s Concepts of Fatherhood and Fertility Intention. Am J Mens Health. 2018 May 1:1557988318775189. [Epub ahead of print]
  57. Hanmer J, Cella D, Feeny D, Fischhoff B, Hays RD, Hess R, Pilkonis PA, Revicki D, Roberts M, Tsevat J, Yu L. Evaluation of options for presenting health-states from PROMIS® item banks for valuation exercises. Qual Life Res. 2018 Apr 12. [Epub ahead of print]
  58. Hausmann LRM, Ibrahim SA, Kwoh CK, Youk A, Obrosky DS, Weiner DK, Vina E, Gallagher RM, Mauro GT, Parks A. Rationale and design of the Staying Positive with Arthritis (SPA) Study: A randomized controlled trial testing the impact of a positive psychology intervention on racial disparities in pain. Contemp Clin Trials. 2018 Jan;64:243-253.
  59. Heist BS, Torok HM. Medical migration: A qualitative exploration of the atypical path of Japanese international medical graduates. Med Teach. 2018 Jan;40(1):31-39.
  60. Helfrich CD, Rose AJ, Hartmann CW, van Bodegom-Vos L, Graham ID, Wood SJ, Majerczyk BR, Good CB, Pogach LM, Ball SL, Au DH, Aron DC. How the dual process model of human cognition can inform efforts to de-implement ineffective and harmful clinical practices: A preliminary model of unlearning and substitution.  J Eval Clin Pract. 2018 Feb;24(1):198-205.
  61. Hernandez I, Bott SW, Patel AS, Wolf CG, Hospodar AR, Sampathkumar S, Shrank WH. Pricing of monoclonal antibody therapies: higher if used for cancer? Am J Manag Care. 2018 Feb;24(2):109-112.
  62. Hernandez I, Prasad V, Gellad WF. Total Costs of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Immunotherapy. JAMA Oncol. 2018 Apr 26. [Epub ahead of print]
  63. Hoffman BL, Hoffman R, Wessel CB, Shensa A, Woods MS, Primack BA. Use of fictional medical television in health sciences education: a systematic review. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2018 Mar;23(1):201-216.
  64. Hoffman BL, Rosenthal EL, Colditz JB, Mcgarry R, Primack BA. Use of Twitter to Assess Viewer Reactions to the Medical Drama, Code Black. J Health Commun. 2018;23(3):244-253.
  65. Holliday CN, Miller E, Decker MR, Burke JG, Documet PI, Borrero SB, Silverman JG, Tancredi DJ, Ricci E, McCauley HL. Racial/Ethnic Differences in Pregnancy Intention, Reproductive Coercion, and Partner Violence among Family Planning Clients: A Qualitative Exploration. Womens Health Issues. 2018 Apr 6. pii: S1049-3867(17)30414-0. [Epub ahead of print]
  66. Hospodar AR, Smith KJ, Zhang Y, Hernandez I. Comparing the Cost Effectiveness of Non-vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants with Well-Managed Warfarin for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation Patients at High Risk of Bleeding. Am J Cardiovasc Drugs. 2018 May 9. [Epub ahead of print]
  67. Huang DT, Yealy DM, Filbin MR, Brown AM, Chang CH, Doi Y, Donnino MW, Fine J, Fine MJ, Fischer MA, Holst JM, Hou PC, Kellum JA, Khan F, Kurz MC, Lotfipour S, LoVecchio F, Peck-Palmer OM, Pike F, Prunty H, Sherwin RL, Southerland L, Terndrup T, Weissfeld LA, Yabes J, Angus DC; ProACT Investigators. Procalcitonin-Guided Use of Antibiotics for Lower Respiratory Tract Infection. N Engl J Med. 2018 May 20. [Epub ahead of print]
  68. Hughes TF, Sun Z, Chang CH, Ganguli M. Change in Engagement in Cognitive Activity and Risk for Mild Cognitive Impairment in a Cohort of Older Adults: The Monongahela-Youghiogheny Healthy Aging Team (MYHAT) Study. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2018 Apr-Jun;32(2):137-144.
  69. Irizarry T, Allen M, Suffoletto BP, Einhorn J, Burke LE, Kamarck TW, Rollman BL, Muldoon MF. Development and Preliminary Feasibility of an Automated Hypertension Self-Management System. Am J Med. 2018 May 25. pii: S0002-9343(18)30442-X. [Epub ahead of print]
  70. Jacobs ZG, Elnicki DM, Perera S, Weiner DK. An E-learning Module on Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults: Effect on Medical Resident Attitudes, Confidence, Knowledge, and Clinical Skills. Pain Med. 2018 Jan 5. [Epub ahead of print]
  71. Jantea R, Buranosky R, Simak D, Hoffman E, Zimmer SM, Elnicki DM. The 50/50 Block Schedule: Impact on Residents’ and Preceptors’ Perceptions, Patient Outcomes, and Continuity of Care. Teach Learn Med. 2018 Apr-Jun;30(2):223-232.
  72. Jha RM, Koleck TA, Puccio AM, Okonkwo DO, Park SY, Zusman BE, Clark RSB, Shutter LA, Wallisch JS, Empey PE, Kochanek PM, Conley YP. Regionally clustered ABCC8 polymorphisms in a prospective cohort predict cerebral oedema and outcome in severe traumatic brain injury. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2018 Apr 19. pii: jnnp-2017-317741. [Epub ahead of print]
  73. Jha RM, Molyneaux BJ, Jackson TC, Wallisch JS, Park SY, Poloyac S, Vagni VA, Janesko-Feldman KL, Hoshitsuki K, Minnigh MB, Kochanek PM. Glibenclamide Produces Region-Dependent Effects on Cerebral Edema in a Combined Injury Model of Traumatic Brain Injury and Hemorrhagic Shock in Mice. J Neurotrauma. 2018 Jun 6. [Epub ahead of print]
  74. Jonassaint CR, Birenboim A, Jorgensen DR, Novelli EM, Rosso AL. The association of smartphone-based activity space measures with cognitive functioning and pain sickle cell disease. Br J Haematol. 2018 May;181(3):395-397.
  75. Jones AL, Hausmann LRM, Kertesz S, Suo Y, Cashy JP, Mor MK, Schaefer JH Jr, Gundlapalli AV, Gordon AJ. Differences in Experiences With Care Between Homeless and Nonhomeless Patients in Veterans Affairs Facilities With Tailored and Nontailored Primary Care Teams. Med Care. 2018 May 12. [Epub ahead of print]
  76. Judge CP, Zhao X, Sileanu FE, Mor MK, Borrero S. Medical contraindications to estrogen and contraceptive use among women veterans. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Feb;218(2):234.e1-234.e9.
  77. Kahn JM, Davis BS, Le TQ, Yabes JG, Chang CH, Angus DC. Variation in mortality rates after admission to long-term acute care hospitals for ventilator weaning. J Crit Care. 2018 Mar 23;46:6-12. [Epub ahead of print]
  78. Karp JF, Gao X, Wahed AS, Morse JQ, Rollman BL, Weiner DK, Reynolds CF 3rd. Effect of Problem-Solving Therapy Versus Supportive Management in Older Adults with Low Back Pain and Depression While on Antidepressant Pharmacotherapy. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2018 Mar 30. pii: S1064-7481(18)30006-X. [Epub ahead of print]
  79. Kazmerski TM, Hill K, Prushinskaya O, Nelson E, Greenberg J, Pitts SA, Borrero S, Miller E, Sawicki GS. Perspectives of adolescent girls with cystic fibrosis and parents on disease-specific sexual and reproductive health education. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2018 Apr 26. [Epub ahead of print]
  80. Kazmerski TM, Sawicki GS, Miller E, Jones KA, Abebe KZ, Tuchman LK, Ladores S, Rubenstein RC, Sagel SD, Weiner DJ, Pilewski JM, Orenstein DM, Borrero S. Sexual and reproductive health behaviors and experiences reported by young women with cystic fibrosis.  J Cyst Fibros. 2018 Jan;17(1):57-63.
  81. Kazmerski TM, Sawicki GS, Miller E, Jones KA, Abebe KZ, Tuchman LK, Ladores S, Rubenstein RC, Sagel SD, Weiner DJ, Pilewski JM, Orenstein DM, Borrero S. Sexual and reproductive health care utilization and preferences reported by young women with cystic fibrosis. J Cyst Fibros. 2018 Jan;17(1):64-70.
  82. Kessler JB, Troxel AB, Asch DA, Mehta SJ, Marcus N, Lim R, Zhu J, Shrank W, Brennan T, Volpp KG. Partners and Alerts in Medication Adherence: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Mar 15. [Epub ahead of print]
  83. Keyser D, Kogan J, McGowan M, Peele P, Holder D, Shrank W. UPMC’s blueprint for BuILDing a high-value health care system. Healthc (Amst). 2018 Mar 30. pii: S2213-0764(17)30131-8. [Epub ahead of print]
  84. Kim EJ, Kim T, Conigliaro J, Liebschutz JM, Paasche-Orlow MK, Hanchate AD. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Diagnosis of Chronic Medical Conditions in the USA. J Gen Intern Med. 2018 May 7. [Epub ahead of print]
  85. Kim EJ, Yuan Y, Liebschutz J, Cabral H, Kazis L. Understanding the Digital Gap Among US Adults With Disability: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey 2013. JMIR Rehabil Assist Technol. 2018 Mar 16;5(1):e3.
  86. Kim H, Vargo JA, Beriwal S, Clump DA, Ohr JP, Ferris RL, Heron DE, Huq MS, Smith KJ. Cost-effectiveness analysis of salvage therapies in locoregional previously irradiated head and neck cancer. Head Neck. 2018 Mar 14. [Epub ahead of print]
  87. Kirkpatrick MG, Cruz TB, Goldenson NI, Allem JP, Chu KH, Pentz MA, Unger JB. Electronic cigarette retailers use Pokémon Go to market products. Tob Control. 2017 Dec;26(e2):e145-e147.
  88. Klinge M, Coppler T, Liebschutz JM, Dugum M, Wassan A, DiMartini A, Rogal S. The assessment and management of pain in cirrhosis. Curr Hepatol Rep. 2018 Mar;17(1):42-51.
  89. Klobuka AJ, Lee J, Buranosky R, Heller M. When the Reading Room Meets the Team Room: Resident Perspectives From Radiology and Internal Medicine on the Effect of Personal Communication After Implementing a Resident-Led Radiology Rounds. Curr Probl Diagn Radiol. 2018 Feb 13. pii: S0363-0188(17)30259-1. [Epub ahead of print]
  90. Kogan JN, Empey P, Kanter J, Keyser DJ, Shrank WH. Delivering on the value proposition of precision medicine: the view from healthcare payers. Am J Manag Care. 2018 Apr;24(4):177-179.
  91. Krans EE, Rothenberger SD, Morrison PK, Park SY, Klocke LC, Turocy MJ, Zickmund S. Hepatitis C Virus Knowledge Among Pregnant Women with Opioid Use Disorder. Matern Child Health J. 2018 Mar 3. [Epub ahead of print]
  92. Ladejobi A, Pasupula DK, Adhikari S, Javed A, Durrani AF, Patil S, Qin D, Ahmad S, Munir MB, Rijal S, Wayne M, Adelstein E, Jain S, Saba S. Implantable Defibrillator Therapy in Cardiac Arrest Survivors With a Reversible Cause. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2018 Mar;11(3):e005940.
  93. Lao PJ, Handen BL, Betthauser TJ, Cody KA, Cohen AD, Tudorascu DL, Stone CK, Price JC, Johnson SC, Klunk WE, Christian BT. Imaging neurodegeneration in Down syndrome: brain templates for amyloid burden and tissue segmentation. Brain Imaging Behav. 2018 May 11. [Epub ahead of print]
  94. Lao PJ, Handen BL, Betthauser TJ, Mihaila I, Hartley SL, Cohen AD, Tudorascu DL, Bulova PD, Lopresti BJ, Tumuluru RV, Murali D, Mathis CA, Barnhart TE, Stone CK, Price JC, Devenny DA, Johnson SC, Klunk WE, Christian BT. Alzheimer-Like Pattern of Hypometabolism Emerges with Elevated Amyloid-β Burden in Down Syndrome. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;61(2):631-644.
  95. Lauffenburger JC, Franklin JM, Krumme AA, Shrank WH, Matlin OS, Spettell CM, Brill G, Choudhry NK. Predicting Adherence to Chronic Disease Medications in Patients with Long-term Initial Medication Fills Using Indicators of Clinical Events and Health Behaviors. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2018 May;24(5):469-477.
  96. Lee AA, Piette JD, Heisler M, Janevic MR, Langa KM, Rosland AM. Family members’ experiences supporting adults with chronic illness: A national survey. Fam Syst Health. 2017 Dec;35(4):463-473.
  97. Lee AA, Piette JD, Heisler M, Rosland AM. Diabetes Distress and Glycemic Control: The Buffering Effect of Autonomy Support From Important Family Members and Friends. Diabetes Care. 2018 Mar 29. pii: dc172396. [Epub ahead of print]
  98. Lee AJ, Yabes JG, Hale N, Hrebinko RL, Gingrich JR, Maranchie JK, Fam MM, Turner I I RM, Davies BJ, Ben-David B, Jacobs BL. The comparative effectiveness of quadratus lumborum blocks and paravertebral blocks in radical cystectomy patients. Can J Urol. 2018 Apr;25(2):9255-9261.
  99. Lesic V, Bruine de Bruin W, Davis M, Krishnamurti T, Azevedo I. Consumers’ perceptions of energy use and energy savings. Env Res Letters. March 2018; 13 (3): 033004
  100. Lewandowski A, Gillespie AI, Kridgen S, Jeong K, Yu L, Gartner-Schmidt J. Adult normative data for phonatory aerodynamics in connected speech. Laryngoscope. 2018 Apr;128(4):909-914.
  101. Liebschutz JM, Buchanan-Howland K, Chen CA, Frank DA, Richardson MA, Heeren TC, Cabral HJ, Rose-Jacobs R. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) correlations with prospective violence assessment in a longitudinal cohort. Psychol Assess. 2018 Jun;30(6):841-845.
  102. Lim G, Melnyk V, Facco FL, Waters JH, Smith KJ. Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Intraoperative Cell Salvage for Obstetric Hemorrhage. Anesthesiology. 2018 Feb;128(2):328-337.
  103. Lytle MC, Blosnich JR, De Luca SM, Brownson C. Association of Religiosity With Sexual Minority Suicide Ideation and Attempt. Am J Prev Med. 2018 Mar;54(5):644-651.
  104. Magnani JW, Schlusser CL, Kimani E, Rollman BL, Paasche-Orlow MK, Bickmore TW. The Atrial Fibrillation Health Literacy Information Technology System: Pilot Assessment. JMIR Cardio. 2017 Jul-Dec;1(2):e7.
  105. Magnetta DA, Kang J, Wearden PD, Smith KJ, Feingold B. Cost-Effectiveness of Ventricular Assist Device Destination Therapy for Advanced Heart Failure in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Pediatr Cardiol. 2018 May 17. [Epub ahead of print]
  106. Matinrazm S, Ladejobi A, Pasupula DK, Javed A, Durrani A, Ahmad S, Munir MB, Adelstein E, Jain SK, Saba S. Effect of body mass index on survival after sudden cardiac arrest. Clin Cardiol. 2018 Jan;41(1):46-50.
  107. Mazefsky CA, Yu L, White SW, Siegel M, Pilkonis PA. Autism Res. The emotion dysregulation inventory: Psychometric properties and item response theory calibration in an autism spectrum disorder sample. 2018 Apr 6. [Epub ahead of print]
  108. McGowan M, Keyser DJ, Kinsky S, Beckjord E, DeGrazia R, Shrank W. UPMC’s Population Health Management Strategy: A Road Map to High-Value Health Care. Popul Health Manag. 2017 Dec 12. [Epub ahead of print]
  109. Merlin JS, Long D, Becker WC, Cachay ER, Christopolous KA, Claborn K, Crane HM, Edelman EJ, Harding R, Kertesz SG, Liebschutz JM, Mathews WC, Mugavero MJ, Napravnik S, O’Cleirigh C, Saag MS, Starrels JL, Gross R. The Association of Chronic Pain and Long-Term Opioid Therapy with HIV Treatment Outcomes. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2018 May 4. [Epub ahead of print]
  110. Merlin JS, Westfall AO, Johnson MO, Kerns RD, Bair MJ, Kertesz S, Turan JM, Clay OJ, Starrels JL, Kilgore M. Cost-effectiveness of a chronic pain intervention for people living with HIV (PLWH). J Med Econ. 2018 Feb;21(2):122-126.
  111. Merlin JS, Westfall AO, Long D, Davies S, Saag M, Demonte W, Young S, Kerns RD, Bair MJ, Kertesz S, Turan JM, Kilgore M, Clay OJ, Starrels J, Pekmezi D, Johnson MO. A Randomized Pilot Trial of a Novel Behavioral Intervention for Chronic Pain Tailored to Individuals with HIV. AIDS Behav. 2018 Jan 16. [Epub ahead of print]
  112. Merlin JS, Young SR, Johnson MO, Saag M, Demonte W, Kerns R, Bair MJ, Kertesz S, Turan JM, Kilgore M, Clay OJ, Pekmezi D, Davies S. Intervention Mapping to develop a Social Cognitive Theory-based intervention for chronic pain tailored to individuals with HIV. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2018 Feb 19;10:9-16.
  113. Merlin JS, Young SR, Starrels JL, Azari S, Edelman EJ, Pomeranz J, Roy P, Saini S, Becker WC, Liebschutz JM. Managing Concerning Behaviors in Patients Prescribed Opioids for Chronic Pain: A Delphi Study. J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Feb;33(2):166-176.
  114. Norman MK, Mayowski CA, Rubio DM. Lowering the barriers to teaching online. Med Educ. 2018 May;52(5):569-570.
  115. Nowak KL, You Z, Gitomer B, Brosnahan G, Torres VE, Chapman AB, Perrone RD, Steinman TI, Abebe KZ, Rahbari-Oskoui FF, Yu ASL, Harris PC, Bae KT, Hogan M, Miskulin D, Chonchol M. Overweight and Obesity Are Predictors of Progression in Early Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.J Am Soc Nephrol. 2018 Feb;29(2):571-578.
  116. Parekh N, Donohue JM, Corbelli J, Men A, Kelley D, Jarlenski M. Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections After Cervical Cancer Screening Guideline and Medicaid Policy Changes: A Population-Based Analysis. Med Care. 2018 May 17. [Epub ahead of print]
  117. Parekh N, Jarlenski M, Kelley D. Prenatal and Postpartum Care Disparities in a Large Medicaid Program. Matern Child Health J. 2018 Mar;22(3):429-437.
  118. Parekh N, Shrank WH. Dangers and Opportunities of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising. J Gen Intern Med. 2018 May;33(5):586-587.
  119. Park SY. Nomogram: An analogue tool to deliver digital knowledge. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2018 Apr;155(4):1793.
  120. Perla RJ, Pham H, Gilfillan R, Berwick DM, Baron RJ, Lee P, McCannon CJ, Progar K, Shrank WH. Government As Innovation Catalyst: Lessons From The Early Center For Medicare And Medicaid Innovation Models. Health Aff (Millwood). 2018 Feb;37(2):213-221.
  121. Polinski JM, Harris LM, Shrank WH, Sussman A, Barron J. Impact of a patient engagement tool on preventive service uptake. Healthc (Amst). 2017 Dec 21. pii: S2213-0764(16)30241-X. [Epub ahead of print]
  122. Primack BA, Shensa A, Sidani JE, Hoffman BL, Soneji S, Sargent JD, Hoffman RM, Fine MJ. Initiation of Traditional Cigarette Smoking after Electronic Cigarette Use Among Tobacco-Naïve US Young Adults. Am J Med. 2018 Apr;131(4):443.e1-443.e9.
  123. Primack BA, Shensa A, Sidani JE, Tulikangas MC, Roberts MS, Colditz JB, Mor MK, James AE, Fine MJ. Comparison of toxicant load from waterpipe and cigarette tobacco smoking among young adults in the USA. Tob Control. 2018 May 16. pii: tobaccocontrol-2017-054226. [Epub ahead of print]
  124. Prout AJ, Talisa VB, Carcillo JA, Mayr FB, Angus DC, Seymour CW, Chang CH, Yende S. Children with Chronic Disease Bear the Highest Burden of Pediatric Sepsis. J Pediatr. 2018 May 9. pii: S0022-3476(18)30468-2. [Epub ahead of print]
  125. Puttarajappa CM, Hariharan S, Smith KJ. A Markov Analysis of Screening for Late-Onset Cytomegalovirus Disease in Cytomegalovirus High-Risk Kidney Transplant Recipients. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2018 Feb 7;13(2):290-298.
  126. Radomski TR, Bixler FR, Zickmund SL, Roman KM, Thorpe CT, Hale JA, Sileanu FE, Hausmann LRM, Thorpe JM, Suda KJ, Stroupe KT, Gordon AJ, Good CB, Fine MJ, Gellad WF. Physicians’ Perspectives Regarding Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Use Within the Department of Veterans Affairs: a Multi-State Qualitative Study. J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Mar 8. [Epub ahead of print]
  127. Regueiro M, Click B, Anderson A, Shrank W, Kogan J, McAnallen S, Szigethy E. Reduced Unplanned Care and Disease Activity and Increased Quality of Life After Patient Enrollment in an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Medical Home. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2018 Apr 12. pii: S1542-3565(18)30343-4. [Epub ahead of print]
  128. Rigotti NA, Chang Y, Tindle HA, Kalkhoran SM, Levy DE, Regan S, Kelley JHK, Davis EM, Singer DE. Association of E-Cigarette Use With Smoking Cessation Among Smokers Who Plan to Quit After a Hospitalization: A Prospective Study. Ann Intern Med. 2018 May 1;168(9):613-620.
  129. Robbins-Welty GA, Mueser L, Mitchell C, Pope N, Arnold R, Park S, White D, Smith KJ, Reynolds C, Rosenzweig M, Bakitas M, Schenker Y. Interventionist training and intervention fidelity monitoring and maintenance for CONNECT, a nurse-led primary palliative care in oncology trial. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2018 Mar 15;10:57-61.
  130. Rollman BL, Herbeck Belnap B, Abebe KZ, Spring MB, Rotondi AJ, Rothenberger SD, Karp JF. Effectiveness of Online Collaborative Care for Treating Mood and Anxiety Disorders in Primary Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018 Jan 1;75(1):56-64.
  131. Rosenfeld EA, Miller E, Zhao X, Sileanu FE, Mor MK, Borrero S. Male partner reproductive coercion among women veterans. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Feb;218(2):239.e1-239.e8.
  132. Rudd KE, Seymour CW, Aluisio AR, Augustin ME, Bagenda DS, Beane A, Byiringiro JC, Chang CH, Colas LN, Day NPJ, De Silva AP, Dondorp AM, Dünser MW, Faiz MA, Grant DS, Haniffa R, Van Hao N, Kennedy JN, Levine AC, Limmathurotsakul D, Mohanty S, Nosten F, Papali A, Patterson AJ, Schieffelin JS, Shaffer JG, Thuy DB, Thwaites CL, Urayeneza O, White NJ, West TE, Angus DC; Sepsis Assessment and Identification in Low Resource Settings (SAILORS) Collaboration. Association of the Quick Sequential (Sepsis-Related) Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) Score With Excess Hospital Mortality in Adults With Suspected Infection in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. JAMA. 2018 May 20. [Epub ahead of print]
  133. Rusiecki J, Schell J, Rothenberger S, Merriam S, McNeil M, Spagnoletti C. An Innovative Shared Decision-Making Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents: Findings From the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Acad Med. 2018 Jun;93(6):937-942.
  134. Schell JO, Cohen RA. Communication Strategies to Address Conflict about Dialysis Decision Making for Critically Ill Patients. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2018 Apr 16. pii: CJN.00010118. [Epub ahead of print]
  135. Schenk WC, Bui T. Sri Lanka’s post-tsunami health system recovery: a qualitative analysis of physician perspectives. Int Health. 2018 Jan 1;10(1):20-26.
  136. Schenker Y, Bahary N, Claxton R, Childers J, Chu E, Kavalieratos D, King L, Lembersky B, Tiver G, Arnold RM. A Pilot Trial of Early Specialty Palliative Care for Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: Challenges Encountered and Lessons Learned. J Palliat Med. 2018 Jan;21(1):28-36.
  137. Schwarz EB, Sileanu FE, Zhao X, Mor MK, Callegari LS, Borrero S. Induced abortion among women veterans: data from the ECUUN study. Contraception. 2018 Jan;97(1):41-47.
  138. Sgro G. Bring Yourself to Work. J Grad Med Educ. 2018 Apr;10(2):230-231.
  139. Sgro G. The Missing. J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Apr 23. [Epub ahead of print]
  140. Shensa A, Sidani JE, Dew MA, Escobar-Viera CG, Primack BA. Social Media Use and Depression and Anxiety Symptoms: A Cluster Analysis. Am J Health Behav. 2018 Mar 1;42(2):116-128.
  141. Shensa A, Sidani JE, Escobar-Viera CG, Chu KH, Bowman ND, Knight JM, Primack BA. Real-life closeness of social media contacts and depressive symptoms among university students. J Am Coll Health. 2018 Feb 16:1-8. [Epub ahead of print]
  142. Shim E, Smith KJ, Nowalk MP, Raviotta JM, Brown ST, DePasse J, Zimmerman RK. Impact of seasonal influenza vaccination in the presence of vaccine interference. Vaccine. 2018 Feb 1;36(6):853-858.
  143. Shroff S, Spataro B, Jeong K, Rothenberger S, Rubio D, McNeil M. Let’s talk about sex: Development and evaluation of a sexual history and counseling curriculum for internal medicine interns. Patient Educ Couns. 2018 Jul;101(7):1298-1301
  144. Sidani JE, Shensa A, Yabes J, Fertman C, Primack BA. Waterpipe tobacco use in college and non-college young adults in the USA. Fam Pract. 2018 May 8. [Epub ahead of print]
  145. Snitz BE, Wang T, Cloonan YK, Jacobsen E, Chang CH, Hughes TF, Kamboh MI, Ganguli M. Risk of progression from subjective cognitive decline to mild cognitive impairment: The role of study setting. Alzheimers Dement. 2018 Jan 18. pii: S1552-5260(17)33874-8. [Epub ahead of print]
  146. Soneji SS, Sung HY, Primack BA, Pierce JP, Sargent JD. Quantifying population-level health benefits and harms of e-cigarette use in the United States. PLoS One. 2018 Mar 14;13(3):e0193328.
  147. Soodalter JA, Siegle GJ, Klein-Fedyshin M, Arnold R, Schenker Y. Affective science and avoidant end-of-life communication: Can the science of emotion help physicians talk with their patients about the end of life? Patient Educ Couns. 2018 May;101(5):960-967.
  148. Spagnoletti CL, Merriam S, Milberg L, Cohen WI, Arnold RM. Teaching Medical Educators How to Teach Communication Skills: More than a Decade of Experience. South Med J. 2018 May;111(5):246-253.
  149. Stewart C, Kopinski H, Liebschutz J, Holmdahl I, Keosaian J, Herman D, Anderson B, Stein M. The provision of cell phones as a recruitment and retention strategy for people who inject drugs enrolling in a randomized trial. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2018 Mar 1;184:20-25.
  150. Stroncek DF, Shaw BE, Logan BR, Kiefer DM, Savani BN, Anderlini P, Bredeson CN, Hematti P, Ganguly S, Diaz MA, Abdel-Azim H, Ahmed I, Maharaj D, Seftel M, Beitinjaneh A, Seo S, Yared JA, Halter J, O’Donnell PV, Hale GA, DeFilipp Z, Lazarus H, Liesveld JL, Zhou Z, Munshi P, Olsson RF, Kasow KA, Szer J, Switzer GE, Chitphakdithai P, Shah N, Confer DL, Pulsipher MA. Donor Experiences of Second Marrow or Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Collection Mirror the First, but CD34+ Yields Are Less. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2018 Jan;24(1):175-184.
  151. Switzer GE, Macis M, Fabi R, Abress L, Confer D, Bruce J, Howe K, Fowler S, McNulty M, Pastorek G, Dew MA. Providing Level-of-Match Information to Perfectly Matched Unrelated Donors: Evaluating Acceptability and Potential Changes in Donor Availability. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2018 Mar 21. pii: S1083-8791(18)30130-7. [Epub ahead of print]
  152. Szymusiak J, Fox MD, Polak C, Jeong K, Rubio D. An inpatient patient safety curriculum for pediatric residents. MedEdPORTAL. 2018;14:10705.
  153. Thomas HN, Hamm M, Hess R, Thurston RC. Changes in sexual function among midlife women: “I’m older… and I’m wiser”. Menopause. 2018 Mar;25(3):286-292.
  154. Tilstra S, McNeil MA. Update in Women’s Heart Disease: Prevention and Screening. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2018 Feb;27(2):216-218.
  155. Toh S, Rasmussen-Torvik LJ, Harmata EE, Pardee R, Saizan R, Malanga E, Sturtevant JL, Horgan CE, Anau J, Janning CD, Wellman RD, Coley RY, Cook AJ, Courcoulas AP, Coleman KJ, Williams NA, McTigue KM, Arterburn D, McClay J; PCORnet Bariatric Surgery Collaborative. The National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet) Bariatric Study Cohort: Rationale, Methods, and Baseline Characteristics. JMIR Res Protoc. 2017 Dec 5;6(12):e222.
  156. Tucker RP, Testa RJ, Simpson TL, Shipherd JC, Blosnich JR, Lehavot K. Hormone therapy, gender affirmation surgery, and their association with recent suicidal ideation and depression symptoms in transgender veterans. Psychol Med. 2018 Jan 14:1-8. [Epub ahead of print]
  157. Urish KL, Bullock AG, Kreger AM, Shah NB, Jeong K, Rothenberger SD; Infected Implant Consortium. A Multicenter Study of Irrigation and Debridement in Total Knee Arthroplasty Periprosthetic Joint Infection: Treatment Failure Is High. J Arthroplasty. 2018 Apr;33(4):1154-1159.
  158. Vater LB, Rebesco G, Schenker Y, Torke AM, Gramelspacher G. Palliative care content on cancer center websites. Support Care Cancer. 2018 Mar;26(3):1005-1011.
  159. Wateska AR, Nowalk MP, Zimmerman RK, Smith KJ, Lin CJ. Cost-effectiveness of increasing vaccination in high-risk adults aged 18-64 Years: a model-based decision analysis. BMC Infect Dis. 2018 Jan 25;18(1):52.
  160. Weberding NT, Saladino RA, Minnigh MB, Oberly PJ, Tudorascu DL, Poloyac SM, Manole MD. Adenosine Administration With a Stopcock Technique Delivers Lower-Than-Intended Drug Doses. Ann Emerg Med. 2018 Feb;71(2):220-224.
  161. White DB, Angus DC, Shields AM, Buddadhumaruk P, Pidro C, Paner C, Chaitin E, Chang CH, Pike F, Weissfeld L, Kahn JM, Darby JM, Kowinsky A, Martin S, Arnold RM; PARTNER Investigators. A Randomized Trial of a Family-Support Intervention in Intensive Care Units. N Engl J Med. 2018 May 23. [Epub ahead of print]
  162. White P, Arnold R, Bull J, Cicero B. The Use of Corticosteroids as Adjuvant Therapy for Painful Bone Metastases: A Large Cross-Sectional Survey of Palliative Care Providers. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2018 Jan;35(1):151-158.
  163. Williams EC, McGinnis KA, Bobb JF, Rubinsky AD, Lapham GT, Skanderson M, Catz SL, Bensley KM, Richards JE, Bryant KJ, Edelman EJ, Satre DD, Marshall BDL, Kraemer KL, Blosnich JR, Crystal S, Gordon AJ, Fiellin DA, Justice AC, Bradley KA. Changes in alcohol use associated with changes in HIV disease severity over time: A national longitudinal study in the Veterans Aging Cohort. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2018 May 24;189:21-29. [Epub ahead of print]
  164. Young VN, Jeong K, Rothenberger SD, Gillespie AI, Smith LJ, Gartner-Schmidt JL, Rosen CA. Minimal clinically important difference of voice handicap index-10 in vocal fold paralysis. Laryngoscope. 2018 Jun;128(6):1419-1424
  165. Zajdel M, Helgeson VS, Seltman HJ, Korytkowski MT, Hausmann LRM. Daily Communal Coping in Couples With Type 2 Diabetes: Links to Mood and Self-Care. Ann Behav Med. 2018 Feb 17;52(3):228-238.
  166. Zhao Y, Tudorascu DL, Lopez OL, Cohen AD, Mathis CA, Aizenstein HJ, Price JC, Kuller LH, Kamboh MI, DeKosky ST, Klunk WE, Snitz BE. Amyloid β Deposition and Suspected Non-Alzheimer Pathophysiology and Cognitive Decline Patterns for 12 Years in Oldest Old Participants Without Dementia. JAMA Neurol. 2018 Jan 1;75(1):88-96.
  167. Zickmund SL, Burkitt KH, Gao S, Stone RA, Jones AL, Hausmann LRM, Switzer GE, Borrero S, Rodriguez KL, Fine MJ. Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Equity in Veteran Satisfaction with Health Care in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System. J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Mar;33(3):305-331.
  168. Zlotnicki JP, Hamlin BR, Plakseychuk AY, Levison TJ, Rothenberger SD, Urish KL. Liposomal Bupivacaine vs Plain Bupivacaine in Periarticular Injection for Control of Pain and Early Motion in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized, Prospective Study. J Arthroplasty. 2018 Mar 16. pii: S0883-5403(18)30255-9. [Epub ahead of print]

Announcements

Events

The Center for Behavioral Health and Smart Technology hosted the Associate Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cardiac Psychiatry Research Program, Chris Celano, MD, as visiting professor from June 5th–7th. He delivered his talk, “Is a happy heart a healthy heart? The evidence for well-being’s links to heart health,” at the Center for Research on Health Care’s Health Services Research Seminar Series on June 7th.

The Center for Behavioral Health and Smart Technology and the Department of Medicine will host Visiting Professor Dr. Kurt Kroenke, Professor of Medicine at Indiana University, September 23rd–25th. Dr. Kroenke will present the Department of Medicine’s Grand Rounds on Tuesday, September 25th.

The Center for Behavioral Health and Smart Technology will host its 4th Integrative Conference on Technology, Social Media, and Behavioral Health at the University Club on Monday, November 5th. Dr. Sherry Pagoto, Director of the Center for mHealth and Social Media at the University of Connecticut and President of the Society of Behavioral Medicine will be one of the Conference’s featured keynote speakers.

If you want to stay informed with more Center for Behavioral Health and Smart Technology activities.  Follow them on Twitter (@HealthTechPitt) and go to their website to sign-up for the HealthTech Weekly.

Birth Announcements
Tom Radomski and family announced the birth of daughter Audra Claire.

Contact Us

Division of General Internal Medicine Academic Offices

UPMC Montefiore Hospital
Suite W933
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-692-4821

Patient/Clinical Inquiries

412-692-4888

Administrative Office

412-692-4889