Jasmine Brown (Funding: Bertha Dagan Berman)
(faculty mentors: Eve Higginbotham, MD, SM [Ophthalmology] and Ahmara Ross, MD, PhD [Ophthalmology]) 
Fellowship term, 6 months: July 2024 - January 2025

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Project: Gender-based Social Drivers of Eye Health and Glaucoma Outcomes

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Glaucoma is one of the most common causes of irreversible and debilitating vision loss in the US, and it disproportionately affects African Americans. Factors beyond genetics, such as health-system related factors and social determinants of health contribute significantly to this health disparity. One important health-system related factor is physician communication style. Research in multiple disciplines have found that female physicians use a more patient-centered communication style. This communication style has been shown to increase adherence and health outcomes. This project aims to further investigate health-system related factors and social determinants of health that may impact vision health outcomes such as gender differences in physician communication, neighborhood conditions and chronic stress levels.

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Emily Gleason (Funding: Bertha Dagan Berman)
(faculty mentor: Rebecca Hamm, MD [Obstetrics and Gynecology])
Fellowship term, 6 months: August -September 2024; October 2024 - March 2025

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Project: Equity in Labor Outcomes Dashboard

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Marked racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes exist in the United States and are well documented. Women from racial and ethnic minority groups, particularly Black and Indigenous communities, experience higher rates of adverse labor outcomes and increased maternal mortality and severe morbidity compared to their White peers. National working groups in maternal health have called for the use and study of implementation science techniques, which bridge the divide between the evidence base and its incorporation into clinical practice, to decrease maternal health disparities. The strategies of audit and feedback have been shown to facilitate implementation and identify gaps between desired and actual care, but the optimal means of using these strategies in obstetric care is unknown. An Equity Dashboard, which has been piloted in other medical contexts but never in obstetrics, holds promise as a vehicle to garner individual clinician buy-in and motivation to reduce racial disparities in maternal health. Such an intervention may drive change by providing clinicians with a needed opportunity for self-evaluation and ownership over disparate outcomes. This project aimsto test feasibility of a clinician-level Equity in Labor Outcomes Dashboard in a 10-clinician pilot cohort study and evaluate acceptability of this measure with a mixed-methods approach, while assessing preliminary mechanisms of impact on clinician decision-making and clinical outcomes.

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Shakira King (Funding: Bertha Dagan Berman)

(faculty mentor: Anuja Dokras, MD PhD ( [Obstetrics and Gynecology])
Fellowship term, 6 months: September 2024 - April 2025

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Project: Assessing Knowledge of Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Treatment Among Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder among reproductive-aged women and characterized by a combination of oligo-anovulation, hyperandrogenism, and/or polycystic ovaries. Several studies have established the elevated metabolic syndrome and overall cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among patients with PCOS, especially those who identify as Black. Thus, early identification and treatment of CVD risk among women with PCOS may play a critical role in optimizing their overall health and addressing health disparities. Lifestyle modification (LSM) has been shown to mitigate CVD risk in patients with PCOS; however, adherence to sustained LSM is often challenging. This may be due to patient’s limited knowledge of CVD risk and the role of risk-reducing strategies such as LSM. Currently, there are no studies that investigate this potential knowledge gap. Thus, this study aims to assess overall knowledge of CVD risk and interventions for risk reduction among patients with PCOS by surveying members of PCOS Challenge, a national patient support group. In this questionnaire, we will also investigate the association between factors such as race and social determinants of health (SDoH) with patient knowledge of CVD risk. We hypothesize that there are gaps in patient knowledge of CVD risk that might be associated with race/ethnicity and SDoH, which in turn contributes to challenges with adherence to risk reduction strategies. This study can potentially help us identify ways to create effective and equitable interventions that mitigate CVD risk and improve treatment adherence among patients with PCOS.​​

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​Ari On (Funding: Bertha Dagan Berman)

(faculty mentors: Victoria P. Werth, MD [Dermatology]) 
Fellowship term, 6 months: July 2024 - January 2025

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Project : Anchoring the CDASI, a Clinical Outcome Assessment (COA), to the Patients’ Perspective of their Disease

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Dermatomyositis is an idiopathic acute inflammatory myopathy affecting the skin and muscles, with a prevalence of 1-6 per 100,000 adults in the U.S. and a female predominance of 2:1. The disease is characterized by cutaneous manifestations, assessed using tools such as the Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Disease Area and Severity Index (CDASI) and the patient-assessed visual analogue scale (ptVAS). While both measurements exist to generate various scores for patients, their relationship has not been evaluated. This retrospective study will analyze data from 500 patients with dermatomyositis to determine the correlation between clinical outcome assessments and patient-reported assessments of disease severity. CDASI and ptVAS scores will be extracted from medical records for multiple clinic visits, paired based on the largest and smallest differences in ptVAS scores, and analyzed using empirical cumulative distribution function (eCDF) and probability density function (PDF) curves. Differences in ptVAS scores will be categorized as improvement, deterioration, or no change, and the corresponding changes in CDASI scores and their components will be evaluated. We hypothesize a positive correlation between ptVAS and CDASI score changes, with variations among ptVAS change categories and specific components of the CDASI score. This study aims to determine if meaningful changes described by the patient correspond with clinician assessment tools in dermatomyositis, providing valuable insights for patient-centered care. Conducting research that reflects the gender and sex diversity of the affected population is crucial, as it may yield significant economic and health benefits, advancing our understanding and treatment of conditions that disproportionately affect women.

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