Medical Editors

The Foundation's Medical Editors are essential to the organization's mission and objectives. These highly respected medical professionals marshal the scientific evidence for educational campaigns, including videos, web based programs, and print materials. Medical Editors are deeply involved in program development from start to finish, from gathering evidence to reviewing scripts, graphics, and data. Medical Editors also work with outside Clinical Advisors and the production teams at Health Dialog to produce the Shared Decision-Making programs, and review them on a regular basis.

David Arterburn, MD, MPH is an associate investigator at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, Washington. He is also chair of the health services research section for The Obesity Society and chair of the obesity special interest group for the HMO Research Network. Dr. Arterburn's work focuses on the area of obesity comparative effectiveness research, with particular expertise in bariatric surgery, pharmacoepidemiology, economic evaluations and shared decision making. He holds an MD from the University of Kentucky and completed his internal and chief residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. In addition, Dr. Arterburn holds an MPH in Health Services from the University of Washington and completed a health services research and development fellowship at the VA Puget Sound in Seattle.

Steven J. Atlas, MD, MPH is an associate professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School and director of the Practice-Based Research and Quality Improvement Network in the general medicine division at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he is also a practicing primary care physician. Dr. Atlas' work focuses on how health information technology can foster population-based patient-centered care that decreases disparities and improves the quality and efficiency of care. The National Institute of Health has funded Dr. Atlas to study work-related low back pain and ways to improve patient care of this injury through shared decision making. He holds an MD from Columbia University and an MPH from Harvard University.

Stephen Berman, MD, FAAP is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and is director of the University of Colorado Center for Global Health. In addition, Dr. Berman is also a practicing primary care pediatrician. His work focuses on child advocacy, child health policy, clinical and outcomes research, international health and pediatric education. He was principal investigator for a CDC grant that established the Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS) and has received support for his pediatric-based research from a multitude of agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr. Berman is the past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He holds an MD from the Temple University School of Medicine.

Michael Bierer, MD, MPH is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an associate physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he has been on staff since 1988. Dr. Bierer has developed an addictions and pain-oriented clinical practice nested in a general primary care clinic at the hospital. He has been involved in educating colleagues and trainees in the management of addictions and complicated pain problems and holds the responsibility of this curriculum for the internal medicine residents at the hospital. He is also a diplomat of the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Bierer holds an MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and an MPH in health policy and management from Harvard School of Public Health.

L. Ebony Boulware, MD, MPH is a general internist and associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University's departments of medicine and epidemiology. She is also the associate director of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research and the director of the KL2 training program within the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (CTSA). Dr. Boulware's work focuses on improving health care for patients with chronic illnesses including kidney disease and hypertension. Her research also addresses ethnic and race disparities in health care, improving doctor-patient relationships, investigating the comparative effectiveness of treatments for chronic illnesses, and understanding the benefits of population-based screening and prevention efforts. Dr. Boulware holds an AB in English from Vassar College, an MD from Duke University and an MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Karen Carlson, MD is director of women's health associates at Massachusetts General Hospital, and assistant professor of medicine and deputy director for the Center of Excellence in Women's Health at Harvard Medical School. Previously, Dr. Carlson was the principal investigator of the Maine Women's Health Study. In addition, she maintains an active primary care practice and is an associate member of the American College of Obstetricians. She holds an MD from Harvard Medical School and completed residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Carlson was also a Henry J. Kaiser Fellow in Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Wendy Chen, MD, MPH is an assistant professor in medicine at The Harvard Medical School and associate physician at Channing Laboratory with Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Chen belongs to a number of professional societies including the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Massachusetts Medical Society. Her work focuses primarily on breast cancer research. She has been involved with numerous studies and collaborated on many peer-reviewed articles relating to her clinical interest. Dr. Chen holds an MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed both her residency and fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in internal medicine and hematology & oncology, respectively. She also holds an MPH in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Kenrik Duru MD, MSHS is an assistant professor in tthe division of general internal medicine and health services research at the UCLA School of Medicine. His work focuses on diabetes management, in particular secondary prevention of disease-related complications. A number of his papers focus on understanding barriers to medication adherence among patients with diabetes. Dr. Duru also has an interest in the promotion of physical activity, including faith-based approaches to assist older women with becoming and remaining physically active. He holds an MD from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and an MSHS from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Joann G. Elmore, MD, MPH is a professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine and adjunct professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Dr. Elmore's work focuses on the accuracy of cancer screening and diagnostic testing and the evaluation of new medical technologies. She is the coauthor of a textbook called Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Preventive Medicine. Dr. Elmore holds an MD from Stanford University School of Medicine, an MPH from the Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health, with advanced training in epidemiology from the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at Yale. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Kathleen Fairfield, MD, MPH, DrPH is associate chief of medicine at Maine Medical Center, assistant professor of medicine at the Tufts University School of Medicine and faculty physician at the Internal Medical Clinic within Maine Medical Center. She is the president of the New England Region, Society of General Internal Medicine and holds a number of other positions at the Maine Medical Center. Dr. Fairfield's work focuses on ovarian cancer epidemiology and nutrition, both of which she has written about in numerous published articles. She holds an MD from the Boston University School of Medicine, an MPH and DrPH from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Ralph Gonzales, MD, MSPH is professor of medicine, epidemiology and bio statistics at the University of California in San Francisco, associate chair of ambulatory care and clinical innovation, direcotr of the UCSF Program in Implementation and Dissemination Science, and associate director of the UCSF CTSI KL2 Career Development Program. Dr. Gonzales' current research focuses on improving health care quality and access through patient-facing computerized technologies, such as interactive kiosks, computer tablets and cellular phones. With support from the California Health Care Foundation, Dr. Gonzales directs the Practice Innovations Network- a group of safety net emergency departments that are evaluating the role of computerized modules to expedite clinical care for uncomplicated acute illnesses, and to provide patients access to preventive health services. Dr. Gonzales is also co-PI on a CDC-funded project to compare different decision support strategies to improve performance on an NCQA HEDIS measure on appropriate antibiotic use for acute bronchitis. Dr. Gonzales holds an MD from the University of California, San Francisco and an MSPH from the University of Colorado.

Ethan A. Halm, MD, MPH is a professor of internal medicine and clinical sciences at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. He is also chief of both the division of general internal medicine, and the division of outcomes and health services research. Dr. Halm's research focuses on changing physician, patient and organizational behavior, improving the quality and outcomes of chronic disease care, and understanding the impact of patient health beliefs on behavior and outcomes. He is currently working with the Foundation on developing a decision aid for patients with asymptomatic carotid artery disease. Dr. Halm holds a BA from Wesleyan University, an MD from the Yale School of Medicine and an MPH from Harvard University. Following residency at the University of California, San Francisco, he completed a general medicine/clinical research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Katherine E. Hartmann, MD, PhD is associate dean for clinical translational research career development at Vanderbilt University, deputy director of the Institute for Medicine and Public Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she also serves as director of the AHRQ Evidence-based Practice Center and director of Women's Health Research. Dr. Hartmann's work focuses on topics such as sub-clinical hypothyroidism and cardiovascular disease, and miscarriage and preterm birth risk factors. She also has an interest in the evaluation of diagnostic tests, for example, measuring how patients and physicians use data for decision making. Another interest of Dr. Hartmann's is large scale clinical-translational studies of etiology and natural history of disease. Dr. Hartmann holds an MD from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD from the University of North Carolina. She completed her residency and Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars fellowship at UNC.

Richard Hoffman, MD, MPH is a professor of medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a staff physician at the Albuquerque VA Medical Center. He also serves as interim director for cancer prevention at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center. Dr. Hoffman's areas of interest include prostate and colorectal cancer screening, and prostate cancer treatment outcomes. He has expertise in the areas of clinical epidemiology, health services research and meta-analysis. Dr. Hoffman holds an MD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an MPH from the University of Washington. He completed an internal medicine residency at the Oregon Health Sciences University and an ambulatory care fellowship at the VA Puget Sound in Seattle.

Jeffrey N. Katz, MD, MS is a professor of medicine and orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School and professor of epidemiology and environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health. In addition, he is director of the Orthopedic and Arthritis Center for Outcomes Research in the department of orthopedic surgery and division of rheumatology, immunology and allergy at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is also principal investigator of the Brigham Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Center. Dr. Katz is deputy editor of methodology for the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, and of Spine. Dr. Katz has focused his research on the evaluation and outcomes of musculoskeletal disorders, including carpal tunnel syndrome, lumbar spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis and lower extremity joint replacement. He holds an MD from Yale Medical School and an MS from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed a medical internship and residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital and a rheumatology fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Nancy Keating, MD, MPH is an associate professor of medicine and of health care policy at the Harvard Medical School. She is also an associate physician in the department of medicine at both Brigham and Women's Hospital and Faulkner Hospital. Dr. Keating's work focuses on the quality of care and outcomes for patients with cancer. In October 2010, her work was featured in the FDA's decision to have new warnings added to labels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, which alerts individuals of the risk of heart disease and diabetes in men treated with these medications. She has received numerous awards and grants, such as the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Career Development Award and has served on a variety of boards, including the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the National Quality Foundation's Breast Cancer Technical Panel. Dr. Keating holds an MD from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and an MPH in public health/clinical effectiveness from the Harvard School of Public Health. She completed her residency and fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Jean S. Kutner, MD, MSPH is a professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and is also head of the division of general internal medicine. She is a member of the Board of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine of the Society of General Internal Medicine Council. Dr. Kutner established and leads the Population-based Palliative Care Research Network (PoPCRN), a research network of organizations that provide hospice/palliative care, and is co-prinicpal investigator of the Palliative Care Research Cooperative (PCRC). Dr. Kutner's research focuses on palliative/hospice, especially symptom management and family caregiver support. She is a recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Generalist Physician Faculty Scholars Program and Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholars in Aging Research Awards. Dr. Kutner holds an MD from the University of California, where she also completed her residency and an MSPH from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, where she completed a geriatrics and a primary care research fellowship.

Carol M. Mangione, MD, MPH is a professor in the division of general internal medicine and health services research in the department of medicine of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is also a consultant in the RAND Health Program and director of the NIA-funded UCLA/Drew Resource Center for Minority Aging Research/Center for Health Improvement of Minority Elderly. Dr. Mangione is a practicing general internist in the UCLA Medical Group's Internal Medicine Suites, co-director of the UCLA Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program and a member of the National Diabetes Quality Improvement Alliance Technical Expert Panel. She holds a BS from the University of Michigan, an MD from the University of California and an MSPH from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Mary McGrace McDermott, MD is professor of medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and staff physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Dr. McDermott leads multiple ongoing R01 studies in peripheral arterial disease (PAD), funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and directs an NHLBI-funded K12 research career development training program in vascular medicine at Northwestern. Dr. McDermott is also chair of the American Heart Association's Peripheral Vascular Disease council and a contributing editor at JAMA. She is the 2009 recipient of the National PAD Coalition's Best Research Award, a recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson General Physician Faculty Scholar Award and the American Heart Association's Established Investigator Award. She is also an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Dr. McDermott holds an MD from Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at Northwestern University's McGraw Medical Center and a fellowship in general internal medicine at the Northwestern University Feinburg School of Medicine.

Mary McNaughton-Collins, MD, MPH is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, an associate physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Foundation's medical director. She has an interest in prostate disease and has received funding from the NIH to conduct research on the subject. Dr. McNaughton-Collins holds a BA in Spanish from Holy Cross, an MD from Dartmouth/Brown Joint Program in Medicine and an MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. She completed her residency at Boston University, as well as a fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Michael P. Pignone, MD, MPH is an associate professor of medicine and chief of the division of general internal medicine at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. He also serves as director of the Program on Medical Practice and Prevention at the Sheps Center for Health Services Research. Dr. Pignone's research focuses on chronic disease prevention and treatment, and the use of decision prevention, colorectal cancer screening, and disease management for common chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, depression and heart failure. Dr. Pignone holds an MD from the University of California, San Francisco, where he also completed his residency in primary care internal medicine and an MPH from UNC- Chapel HIll, where he was a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program.

Neil Powe, MD, MPH, MBA is chief of medicine at San Francisco General Hospital, the Constance B. Wofsy Distinguished Professor and vice-chair of medicine at UCSF. Author of more than 350 articles, his research focuses on clinical epidemiology, health services and patient outcomes with extensive experience in developing and measuring outcomes in chronic kidney disease. Dr. Powe is the recipient of the John M. Eisenberg National Award for Career Achievement in Reseearch from the Society of General Internal Medicine, master in the American College of Physicians and member of the Institute of medicine. Dr. Powe holds an MD and MPH from Harvard University. He completed his residency and MBA at the University of Pennsylvania while a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar.

Karen R. Sepucha, PhD is the director of the Health Decision Sciences Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on extending and refining normative and behavioral decision making theories and their application to medical decision making. Recently, Dr. Sepucha's research has been focused on measuring decision quality and developing survey instruments that can be used across to assess the quality of common medical decisions. She has had several articles published on the evaluation of decision support interventions. Dr. Sepucha holds a PhD in engineering from Stanford University.

John W. Williams, Jr., MD is a professor of medicine and psychiatry at Duke University, co-director for the MacArthur Initiative on Depression in Primary Care, and a faculty member in the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care at the Durham VAMC. Dr. Williams is also a scientific editor of the NC Medical Journal. His work, which has been published in major medical journals, focuses on clinical examination, depression recognition and methods to implement effective care models for depression. Dr. Williams has received a Generalist Physician Faculty Scholar award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, an Advanced Career Development Award from the VA Health Services Research Program and is board certified in internal medicine. He holds an MD from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill and an MHSc from Duke University School of Medicine.

John Wong, MD is chief of the division of clinical decision making, informatics and telemedicine at Tufts Medical Center and professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. His research focuses on rational evidence-based efficient and effective patient-centered care using decision analysis. He is the past president of the Society for Medical Decision Making and a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He holds an MD from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and completed his residency and National Library of Medicine Medical Informatics fellowship in Clinical Decision Making at Tufts Medical Center.