Division of General Internal Medicine

Ronald Ackermann, MD, MPH, is director of Northwestern University's Institute for Public Health & Medicine and the Center for Diabetes and Metabolism. He is a clinical and population health researcher and practicing primary care clinician considered an international expert in designing and evaluating policies, systems and programs to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions.

Since 2004, Ackermann has led research studies that have informed nationwide implementation of community and health system–based interventions to prevent type 2 diabetes and health payer reimbursements for these services. He also actively studies the comparative effectiveness of new medications and technologies to improve diabetes prevention and care.

Over the past 15 years, Ackermann has collaborated extensively with patients, clinicians, healthcare leaders, community organizations, advocacy groups and public officials to advance research and policy action in chronic disease care and prevention.

For more information, visit Ackermann's faculty profile.

Publications

View Ackermann's publications at PubMed.

Contact

The Ackermann Lab
Phone: 312-503-3323

Ronald T. Ackermann, MD, MPH
Phone: 312-503-6417 

Stacy Bailey, PhD, MPH, and her lab investigate the definition and measurement of health literacy, its extent and associations with various health outcomes and the testing of innovative and viable "low-literacy" intervention strategies to help individuals promote, protect and manage their health.

The Bailey Lab has research experience and interests extend across various contexts, including disease prevention, medication safety, chronic disease self-management and hospital readmissions. Bailey's work also focuses on the broader theme of health inequalities, especially those experienced by individuals with limited English proficiency.

For more information, visit Bailey's faculty profile.

Publications

View Bailey's publications on PubMed.

Contact

Phone: 312-503-5595

Using theoretical frameworks from communication, psychology and health education, the Cameron Lab creates innovative, patient-centered messages to motivate individuals to engage in preventive health behaviors. Research has included:

• Funded studies to identify accurate and inaccurate beliefs about influenza and influenza vaccination among African-Americans aged 65 and older
• Creation of multimedia messages to promote influenza and pneumococcal vaccination
• Physician and patient interventions to improve colorectal cancer screening among patients at Federally Qualified Health Centers

The lab also investigated the effects of presenting a "facts versus myths" format in printed materials on seasonal influenza vaccination, showing that health messages including facts, myths and evidence to counter myths effectively increase participants' knowledge. Moreover, presenting facts and myths does not negatively affect patient recall accuracy. Current research explores the effects of presenting patients with information either at the point of care or before a clinic visit via the Electronic Health Record.

The Cameron Lab also provides significant consultation and expertise in qualitative research methods, working across departments and divisions within Feinberg. Kenzie A. Cameron, PhD, MPH, is a passionate advocate for mentoring the next generation of scholars, recognizing the benefits of transdisciplinary education and collaboration. She is a member of the Feinberg Mentor Academy and received the Feinberg School of Medicine Mentor of the Year award in 2016.

For more information, visit Cameron's faculty profile.

Publications

View lab publications via PubMed.

Contact

Phone: 312-503-3910
Email Cameron

Namratha Kandula, MD, MPH, is a primary care physician supporting community health partnerships to improve health in immigrant and minority communities. For many years, she has led community-engaged research funded by the National Institutes of Health to understand and reduce cardiovascular disease disparities in South Asian immigrants. Her research advances understanding of the social and cultural determinants of cardiovascular disease from patients' perspectives and how to use this information to develop more effective interventions.

Kandula currently leads the South Asian Healthy Lifestyle Intervention (SAHELI) study, a multisector collaboration involving community, public health and healthcare system partners. SAHELI's goal is to implement and test a community-based, culturally tailored lifestyle intervention for South Asian adults with elevated cardiovascular risk. Kandula is also the principal investigator of the MASALA study, the first longitudinal cohort study to investigate heart disease in U.S. South Asians. Results from MASALA show important differences in cardiovascular disease pathophysiology across racial and ethnic groups and can guide tailored treatment and prevention for South Asians.

For more information, visit Kandula's faculty profile.

Publications

View Kandula's publications via PubMed.

Contact

Phone: 312-503-6470

Abel Kho, MD, specializes in health informatics, particularly in developing large-scale electronic data-sharing networks for translational, patient-centered and quality improvement research. He has expertise in EHR-based phenotyping methods and explores how to incorporate genetic testing into routine clinical care via the EHR.

Kho has also examined novel applications of geographic information systems, including privacy-protecting means to present small-area disease estimates. His work enables data sharing across diverse stakeholders, linking EHR data across multiple institutions in the Chicago region. Additionally, he identifies effective quality improvement strategies and correlates care team composition with patient outcomes.

For more information, visit Kho's faculty profile.

Publications

View Kho's publications via PubMed.

Contact

Phone: 312-503-6460
Center for Health Information Partnerships: 312-503-8019

Our research is diverse, focusing on many aspects of healthcare and primary care in the United States. We have particular expertise in ambulatory antibiotic prescribing, use of health information technology, using health system data for research, and physician behavior change using social psychology and behavioral economics. We have received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, industry and foundations.

For more information, visit Jeffrey A. Linder, MD, MPH, FACP's faculty profile.

Publications

View Linder's publications via PubMed.

David Liss, PhD, is a health services researcher who tests new, real-world approaches to healthcare delivery. He has particular expertise in evaluating interventions that deliver team-based care to high-risk populations, such as the patient-centered medical home model of primary care and post-discharge care coordination programs.

In addition to conducting quantitative and mixed methods evaluations in observational studies, Liss has conducted experimental comparative effectiveness research such as cluster-randomized trials and randomized encouragement trials. In recent years, he has led federally funded research to develop new smartphone-based approaches to care coordination and transmission of electronic data across geographic regions.

For more information, visit Liss' faculty profile.

Publications

View Liss' publications via PubMed.

Contact

Phone: 312-503-3232
Email Liss

Mary McDermott, MD, and her lab study mechanisms of functional impairment in peripheral artery disease (PAD) and test therapies to improve patient performance. Funded by the National Institutes of Health and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the team examines links between lower extremity ischemia and calf muscle abnormalities, including mitochondrial dysfunction and autophagy issues.

Current randomized trials include:

• LITE Trial (NHLBI R01-HL122846): Compares low-intensity home exercise to high-intensity home exercise and a control group for PAD patients.
• TELEX Trial (NHLBI R01-HL126117): Tests telmisartan with supervised treadmill exercise against telmisartan alone and exercise alone in PAD patients.
• PERMET Trial (NHLBI R01-HL137701): Evaluates metformin's effect on walking performance in PAD patients.
• COCOA-PAD Trial (NIA R21AG050897): Pilot study of epicatechin-rich cocoa's impact on walking performance in PAD patients.

McDermott also studies exercise interventions for PAD, focusing on effective, accessible and acceptable methods. A PCORI-funded trial is testing a home-based exercise program using Fitbit and coach phone calls.

For more information, visit McDermott's faculty profile.

Publications

View McDermott's publications via PubMed.

Contact

Phone: 312-503-6438
Email McDermott

The Persell Lab's work includes the design, implementation and evaluation of multiple different aspects of quality improvement in healthcare, most often applied in primary care settings. The ultimate goal of this work is to improve healthcare and reduce healthcare disparities. Our work relies heavily on applied clinical informatics, care redesign that incorporates team members or technology functioning in different roles, as well as social psychology-informed techniques to improve clinician decision-making.

We also study the use of electronic health record data for clinician performance measurement and research. Areas of interest include: preventive care, hypertension, preventive cardiology, medication self-management, social determinants of health, ambulatory geriatrics care and reducing overuse of inappropriate services.

For more information, visit Stephen Persell, MD, MPH's faculty profile or the Center for Primary Care Innovation website.

Publications

View Persell's publications via PubMed.

Contact

Phone: 312-503-6464
Email Persell

The Walunas Lab explores how electronic health record data can be used to improve health outcomes and care quality for patients with immunological disease, particularly autoimmunity.

Learn more on the Walunas Lab Website