Core EPC Researchers

 

Jennifer S. Lin, MD, MCR, FACP

Director, KP Evidence-based Practice Center
Distinguished Investigator

Dr. Lin is a practicing general internist and a recognized expert in systematic review methodology, evidence-based medicine, and clinical prevention. She has been conducting work for the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) since 2006, leading or collaborating on more than 33 systematic reviews and methods papers. Dr. Lin has also worked on methods consultation for other guideline groups including the American College of Physicians (ACP), Kaiser Permanente National Guidelines, and the World Health Organization (WHO). 

 

Elizabeth A. O'Connor, PhD

Associate Director, KP Evidence-based Practice Center
Senior Investigator

Dr. O'Connor is a fellowship trained researcher and health psychologist with a primary focus on behavioral interventions and mental health screening in primary care. She also has expertise in quantitative methods for evidence synthesis. She primarily conducts systematic evidence reviews for the USPSTF and has experience creating evidence products for other organizations as well.

 

Tracy L. Beil, MS

Project Director, KP Evidence-based Practice Center
Research Program Manager

Ms. Beil administers the KP EPC's portfolio of reviews to support the USPSTF and manages the work of the CHR-NW Research Associates who conduct research in the area of evidence-based medicine. She sits on all reviews to ensure consistency across all products.

 

Michelle L. Eder, PhD

Research Associate

Dr. Eder is a medical anthropologist who has led topic nomination development work for AHRQ as their Scientific Resource Center (SRC) for the Effective Health Care Program and the SRC to support the USPSTF. She has also served as a co-investigator on several systematic reviews for the USPSTF.

 

Janelle M. Guirguis-Blake, MD

Affiliate Investigator

Dr. Guirguis-Blake is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington. In her role as co-investigator with the KP EPC, she leads and collaborates on systematic reviews for the US Preventive Services Task Force.

 

Jillian T. Henderson, PhD, MPH

Senior Investigator

Dr. Henderson is a health services researcher focused on improving preventive health care and pregnancy outcomes. She currently leads systematic reviews for the US Preventive Services Task Force, serves as the Methodologist for the Cochrane Fertility Regulation Group in the Children and Families global network, and has contributed to a review for American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology clinical guidance and telehealth interventions.

 

Carrie D. Patnode, PhD, MPH

Senior Investigator

Dr. Patnode is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on evaluation and implementation of preventive behavioral interventions. She leads systematic reviews on behalf of the USPSTF and other guideline groups including the WHO and Community Preventive Services Task Force.

 

Evelyn P. Whitlock, MD

KP EPC Founding Director (1997-2015)

Core EPC Staff

  • Sarah I. Bean, MPH
    Research Associate
  • Erin L. Coppola, MPH
    Research Associate    
  • Melinda C. Davies, MAIS 
    Associate Research Informationist 
  • Corinne V. Evans, MPP   
    Research Associate 
  • Megan O. Iacocca, MS
    Research Associate
  • Allea M. Martin, MPH
    Research Associate  
  • Leslie A. Perdue, MPH   
    Research Associate
  • Jill A. Pope, BA    
    Senior Technical Writer/Editor
  • Nadia Redmond, MSPH    
    Research Associate  
  • Caitlyn A. Senger, MPH   
    Research Associate    
  • Rachel G. Thomas, MPH   
    Research Associate  
  • Elizabeth M. Webber, MS
    Research Associate         

 Affiliated Investigators - Kaiser Permanente

Gloria D. Coronado, PhD, Distinguished Investigator
Dr. Coronado is the Merwyn R. Greenlick Distinguished Investigator in Health Disparities; she designs and evaluates clinic-based interventions to improve participation in cancer care among patients at Latino-serving community health clinics.

Stephen P. Fortmann, MD, Distinguished Investigator, Interim CHR Director
Dr. Fortmann is an internist and epidemiologist conducting studies of cardiovascular risk factors and disease rates, smoking cessation, health education through the mass media, and exercise and diet change.

Eric S. Johnson, PhD, Senior Affiliate Investigator
Dr. Johnson, who has 20 years of experience in the area of pharmacoepidemiology, conducts research describing prognosis in the usual care setting and the prediction of clinical events.

Lawrence H. Kushi, ScD, Co-investigator
Dr. Kushi is a nutritional epidemiologist whose research interests focus on the role of diet and nutrition in the etiology of coronary artery disease and breast and other cancers. Dr. Kushi is the associate director for Etiology and Prevention Research at the KP Northern California Division of Research.

Erin S. LeBlanc, MD, Senior Investigator
Dr. LeBlanc is an epidemiologist and board-certified adult endocrinologist specializing in women’s health research.

Frances L. Lynch, PhD, Distinguished Investigator
Dr. Lynch is a health economist with a focus on the organization and financing of care for people with mental health and substance abuse problems.

Richard T. Meenan, PhD, Senior Investigator, Science Director
Dr. Meenan is a health economist who studies methods of economic evaluation of health care interventions, such as decision modeling and return on investment analysis

Joy A. Melnikow, MD, MPH, Affiliate Investigator
Dr. Melnikow, a former USPSTF member, oversees the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research at University of California at Davis where she fosters the development of patient-centered outcomes research, comparative effectiveness research, and health policy research.

Richard A. Mularski, MD, Distinguished Investigator
Dr. Mularski is board-certified in pulmonary, critical care, and palliative medicine; he has expertise in quality improvement, translating research into practice, and implementing evidence-based medicine.

Susan L. Norris, MD, MPH, MSc, Affiliate Investigator
Dr. Norris is a surgeon, family physician, and highly experienced systematic reviewer and methodologist, having previously conducted reviews for the USPSTF and many other guideline developers. She is the principal investigator on NIH's study of conflict of interest in clinical practice guideline development.

Kimberly K. Vesco, MD, Senior Investigator
Dr. Vesco is a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist and Kaiser Permanente physician with more than a decade of clinical experience caring for normal and high-risk pregnancies.

 

Affiliated Investigators - Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI)

Diana S.M. Buist, PhD is an epidemiologist and health services researcher whose work focuses on early detection of cancer, most recently co-leading the USPSTF review on aspirin for prevention of colorectal cancer.

Jessica Chubak, PhD, is an epidemiologist working on cancer screening and survivorship. She is currently leading the USPSTF reviews on aspirin for prevention of colorectal cancer and thyroid cancer screening.

John B. Dunn, MD, MPH, is a pediatrician and co-chair of immunization practices at Kaiser Permanente Washington. He is co-leading the USPSTF review on screening for dyslipidemia in children.

Nora B. Henrikson, PhD, is a geneticist and epidemiologist whose research focuses on the influences of health policy and costs on patient choices and experiences of clinical care. Dr. Henrikson has conducted reviews on genetic services, low-back pain, and nearly a dozen health technology assessments.

Paula Lozano, MD, MPH, is a pediatrician who is co-leading two USPSTF reviews on screening for dyslipidemia in children and childhood overweight.

Bruce M. Psaty, MD, PhD, MPH, is a general internist whose research focuses on cardiovascular epidemiology, hypertension, diabetes, epidemiological methods, meta-analyses, drug safety, pharmacoepidemiology, genetics, genomics, and pharmacogenetics. In addition to dozens of meta-analyses Dr. Psaty has conducted systematic reviews on statins and intracerebral hemorrhage and progesterone and progestins' relationship with cardiovascular disease in women.

Gregory E. Simon, MD, MPH, is psychiatrist who researches mental health, obesity, health plan coverage for antidepressants, the impact of mood disorders in the workplace, and suicide risk. Dr. Simon is an associate editor in Cochrane Collaboration Depression and Anxiety Group, with a systematic review on adherence.

Karen J. Wernli, PhD, is an epidemiologist focusing on women's health and cancer at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. She is currently leading the USPSTF review on skin cancer screening.

 

Affiliated Investigators - HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research

Steven P. Dehmer, PhD, is an economist who develops microsimulation models for the USPSTF and for health policy studies funded by the CDC, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the American Heart Association.

Michael V. Maciosek, PhD, is a senior research investigator and health economist with a long history of policy-relevant economic analysis and emphasis on prevention. He leads the analytic team that systematically evaluates the health impact and cost-effectiveness of preventive services for the National Commission on Prevention Priorities to help decision makers choose where to focus efforts to improve healthcare quality and efficiency.

Emily D. Parker, MPH, PhD, is a statistician-epidemiologist focused in prospective and retrospective observational studies. She conducts evidence reviews for the Institute of Clinical Systems Improvement.

Rebecca C. Rossom, MD, MSCR, is a geriatric psychiatrist and a clinical research associate with HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research who has conducted systematic reviews in the area of dementia, depression, and other mental health disorders.

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