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 health care, and clinical prevention. She has been conducting work for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) since 2006, leading or collaborating on more than 40 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

Co-Associate Director, KP Evidence-based Practice Center
Senior Investigator

Dr. O'Connor is a fellowship-trained clinical psychologist with over 30 years of research experience and strong expertise in data analysis and behavioral medicine. She also conducts statistical analyses for reviews and has experience in meta-analysis techniques as well as methods for analyzing rare events, diagnostic accuracy data, and graphical presentation of data. She primarily conducts systematic evidence reviews for the USPSTF and has experience creating evidence products for other organizations, such as the American Psychological Association, the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy.

 

Carrie D. Patnode, PhD, MPH

Co-Associate Director, KP Evidence-based Practice Center
Senior Investigator

Dr. Patnode is a behavioral epidemiologist whose research focuses on evidence synthesis and guideline development, primarily around complex behavioral interventions in clinical preventive services. She also works on methodologic research related to dissemination and implementation of evidence-based guidelines, assessing the risk of bias in individual studies in systematic reviews, rapid and living review procedures, using existing systematic reviews in evidence synthesis, and engaging decision makers and end-users of reviews.  She leads systematic reviews on behalf of the USPSTF and has experience creating evidence products for other organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), Community Preventive Services Task Force, and Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute.

 

Tracy L. Berntsen, MS

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

Ms. Berntsen administers the KP EPC's portfolio of reviews to support the USPSTF and manages the work of the EPC-dedicated research associates and staff members, while overseeing all reviews to ensure consistency across products. Ms. Berntsen has over 20 years of experience working on systematic reviews and provides both scientific and managerial input as needed across reviews.

 

Michelle L. Eder, PhD

Research Associate

Dr. Eder is a medical anthropologist who serves as the Co-Director of the USPSTF Scientific Resource Center. She has led topic development and prioritization activities for the USPSTF since 2011 and previously led topic selection and development work for AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program. Dr. Eder also has over 18 years’ experience in evidence review activities, including systematic reviews, rapid reviews, and technical briefs for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF), Kaiser Permanente’s Care Management Institute (CMI), and the American Psychological Association (APA). Her recent methods development work for the USPSTF includes projects focused on shared decision making, social risk factors, and subpopulation considerations.

 

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 U.S. 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.

 

Janelle M. Guirguis-Blake, MD

Affiliate Investigator

Dr. Guirguis-Blake is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Washington’s Department of Family Medicine where she practices and teaches full-scope family medicine. In her role as an Affiliate Investigator with the KP EPC, she leads and collaborates on systematic reviews and methods work for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

 

Core EPC Staff

  • Sarah I. Bean, MPH
    Research Associate II
  • Paula Blasi, MPH
    Senior Collaborative Scientist, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
  • Erin L. Coppola, MPH
    Research Associate II
  • Melinda C. Davies, MAIS
    Associate Research Informationist
  • Corinne V. Evans, MPP
    Research Associate III
  • Allea M. Martin, MPH
    Research Associate II
  • Leslie A. Perdue, MPH
    Research Associate III
  • Jill A. Pope, BA
    Senior Technical Writer/Editor
  • Nadia Redmond, MSPH
    Research Associate II
  • Caitlyn A. Senger, MPH
    Project Director
  • Elizabeth M. Webber, MS, MPP
    Research Associate III
  •  

 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.

 

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