Stephanie L. Fitzpatrick, PhD, is a clinical health psychologist whose research focuses on embedding behavioral interventions for obesity and chronic disease management in primary care and community-based settings. She has expertise in development, implementation, and analysis of behavioral interventions, including use of advanced statistical modeling including structural equation modeling.
Dr. Fitzpatrick was the principal investigator on a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK)-funded R21 study that involved applying latent class analysis to data from two multi-site behavioral intervention trials (PREMIER and Weight Loss Maintenance) that CHR was part of in order to identify individuals who successfully maintained health behavior changes for a year or more and to establish demographic and baseline psychosocial predictors of behavior change maintenance. She recently completed a NIDDK-funded R34 randomized pilot trial (Bridge to Health/ Puente a la Salud) to test the feasibility of a community health worker-led intervention to address diabetes self-management and social needs among racial/ethnic minoritized and low-income patients.
Additionally, Dr. Fitzpatrick is co-principal investigator on a NIDDK-funded R01 to evaluate the implementation of the Diabetes Prevention Program at Kaiser Permanente Northwest (KPNW). As the social health strategy research liaison, she works closely with KPNW’s Community Health team to help implement and evaluate social health strategies and social health practice initiatives to advance health equity. Dr. Fitzpatrick is also a past member of the Social Needs Network for Evaluation and Translation (SONNET) and is a current standing member of the Oregon Health Authority’s Metrics & Scoring Committee and the National Institutes of Health Lifestyle Change and Behavioral Health Study Section.
After earning her PhD in clinical psychology with a specialization in health psychology from the University of Miami, Dr. Fitzpatrick completed a one-year health psychology internship in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Rush University Medical Center and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of General Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. From 2013-2016, she was an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Rush University Medical Center.
Selected Current Studies
- Evaluating the Implementation of the Diabetes Prevention Program in an Integrated Health System (NIDDK)
Selected Publications
- Fitzpatrick SL, Papajorgji-Taylor D, Schneider JL, et al. Bridge to Health/Puente a la Salud: A pilot randomized trial to address diabetes self-management and social needs among high-risk patients. Transl Behav Med. In press.
- Fitzpatrick SL, Mayhew M, Rawlings A, et al. Evaluating the implementation of a digital diabetes prevention program in an integrated healthcare delivery system among older adults: Results from a natural experiment. Clin Diabetes. In press.
- Fitzpatrick SL, Mayhew M, Catlin CL, et al. Evaluating the implementation of digital and in-person diabetes prevention programs in a large, integrated health system: Natural experiment study design. Perm J. In press.
- Fitzpatrick SL, Banegas MP, Kimes TM, Papajorgji-Taylor D, Fuoco MJ. Prevalence of unmet basic needs and association with diabetes control and care utilization among insured persons with diabetes. Popul Health Manag. 2021;24(4):463-469.
- Fitzpatrick SL, Stevens VJ. Adult obesity management in primary care, 2008-2013. Prev Med. 2017 Jun;99:128-133. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.02.020. Epub 2017 Feb 21. PMID: 28232100.
- Fitzpatrick SL, Wischenka D, Appelhans BM, Pbert L, Wang M, Wilson DK, Pagoto SL; Society of Behavioral Medicine. An Evidence-based Guide for Obesity Treatment in Primary Care. Am J Med. 2016 Jan;129(1):115.e1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.07.015. Epub 2015 Jul 31. PMID: 26239092.
- Fitzpatrick SL, Coughlin JW, Appel LJ, Tyson C, Stevens VJ, Jerome GJ, Dalcin A, Brantley PJ, Hill-Briggs F. Application of Latent Class Analysis to Identify Behavioral Patterns of Response to Behavioral Lifestyle Interventions in Overweight and Obese Adults. Int J Behav Med. 2015 ug;22(4):471-80. doi: 10.1007/s12529-014-9446-y. PMID: 25331853; PMCID: PMC4957646.