Natalie Ritchie, PhD, is a clinical health psychologist whose primary area of expertise is in the prevention of diabetes through lifestyle interventions, with a focus on improving health equity in diabetes care. She also studies how to maximize the public health impact of research through effective dissemination of findings and implementation of evidence-based interventions.
Dr. Ritchie has conducted extensive research studying the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP). This portfolio includes studies focused on identifying gaps in the program’s ability to meet patient needs; pragmatic strategies to improve program outcomes and health equity; expanding the potential benefits of the program to improve maternal-child health; and improving health policies for diabetes prevention. Ongoing studies include a randomized clinical trial to assess the NDPP’s effects on obesity and diabetes risk among women of childbearing age from underserved groups, and a qualitative study to learn how to better implement the program for Medicare beneficiaries.
Dr. Ritchie earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, after which she completed postdoctoral training in patient-centered outcomes research at Denver Health and served as a primary care psychologist in a Spanish-speaking clinic. Before joining CHR in 2024, Dr. Ritchie served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Health Systems Research at Denver Health.
Selected Current Studies
- NDPP-NextGen: A clinical trial to reduce transgenerational obesity and diabetes risks (NIDDK)
- Multi-Stakeholder Determinants of Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program Implementation and Participation (NHLBI)
Selected Publications
- Ritchie ND, Sauder KA, Kaufmann PG, Perreault L. Patient-Centered Goal-Setting in the National Diabetes Prevention Program: A Pilot Study. Diabetes Care. 2021 Nov;44(11):2464-2469. doi: 10.2337/dc21-0677. Epub 2021 Aug 17. PMID: 34404739; PMCID: PMC8546276.
- Ritchie ND, Sauder KA, Perreault L. Glycemic Improvement and Health Equity in the National Diabetes Prevention Program. Diabetes Care. 2023;46:1–2. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-0552.
- Ritchie ND, Sauder KA, Kostiuk M. Reducing maternal obesity and diabetes risks prior to conception with the National Diabetes Prevention Program. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-023-03624-5
- Ritchie ND, Seely E, Nicklas J, Levkoff S. Effectiveness of the National Diabetes Prevention Program after gestational diabetes. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2023. 65(2) 317-321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2023.03.006
- Ritchie ND, Turk MT. Enhancing access and impact of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program using telehealth: a narrative review. Mhealth. 2023 Dec 11;10:10. doi: 10.21037/mhealth-23-37. PMID: 38323146; PMCID: PMC10839516.