Buehler Center for Health Policy and Economics

We would like to introduce faculty member Ciaran Kohli-Lynch, who joined the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University - The Feinberg School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor in 2023. As a health economist with research interests in cost-effectiveness analysis and cardiovascular epidemiology, his research has focused on the cost-effectiveness of preventive interventions for chronic diseases and analysis of pooled longitudinal cohort data. He is also an honorary lecturer at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, and has been involved in a range of economic evaluations of public health interventions. When not in the office, Ciaran is playing football (soccer) or watching his favorite team, Celtic FC.

We would like to welcome new faculty members to the Buehler Center. Dr. Soyang Kwon (left) is an Epidemiologist/biostatistician whose research is focused on an application of quantitative methods in various behavioral health research. Dr. Kwon has a research program to conduct epidemiological observational studies and develop real-world data-based analytic tools. Dr. Kwon also serves as a team member of various health research groups to provide services related to grant writing, study design, statistical analysis plan, data analysis, and data interpretation. Susan Parker (right) is a quantitative social scientist applying causal inference and machine learning methods to research in violence reduction, and in particular gun violence and policing. Parker holds a PhD in Health Policy with an economics cognate from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health as well as an MS and MPP from the University of Chicago. Previously, she worked as a senior data scientist.

Northwestern University - The Feinberg School of Medicine prof. Lori Ann Post recently featured in a Northwestern Now article highlighting her research on how the Federal Assault Weapons Ban could have prevented 38 mass shootings between 2005 and 2022, had it stayed in place. “Nobody wants to be a victim of these seemingly random events, and nobody wants to worry that their children are going to die at school,” said Dr. Post. “Most Americans, despite political affiliation, believe in responsible gun ownership. We need to prevent mass shooter wannabes from obtaining assault rifles — because many need an assault rifle to carry out the mass shooting.” Read further here: https://buff.ly/3Nm74Fn #publicsafety #publichealth #gunviolenceprevention

Northwestern University - The Feinberg School of Medicine prof. Lori Ann Post recently featured in a Northwestern Now article highlighting her research on how the Federal Assault Weapons Ban could have prevented 38 mass shootings between 2005 and 2022, had it stayed in place. “Nobody wants to be a victim of these seemingly random events, and nobody wants to worry that their children are going to die at school,” said Dr. Post. “Most Americans, despite political affiliation, believe in responsible gun ownership. We need to prevent mass shooter wannabes from obtaining assault rifles — because many need an assault rifle to carry out the mass shooting.” Read further here: https://buff.ly/3Nm74Fn #publicsafety #publichealth #gunviolenceprevention

I am so grateful for the two fabulous faculty joining the Buehler Center and the Department of Emergency Medicine this fall. Welcome Soyang Kwon and Susan Parker!

We would like to welcome new faculty members to the Buehler Center. Dr. Soyang Kwon (left) is an Epidemiologist/biostatistician whose research is focused on an application of quantitative methods in various behavioral health research. Dr. Kwon has a research program to conduct epidemiological observational studies and develop real-world data-based analytic tools. Dr. Kwon also serves as a team member of various health research groups to provide services related to grant writing, study design, statistical analysis plan, data analysis, and data interpretation. Susan Parker (right) is a quantitative social scientist applying causal inference and machine learning methods to research in violence reduction, and in particular gun violence and policing. Parker holds a PhD in Health Policy with an economics cognate from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health as well as an MS and MPP from the University of Chicago. Previously, she worked as a senior data scientist.

Approximately 30% of breast cancer patients develop metastatic breast cancer, and prior research has shown that individuals with metastatic breast cancer have higher physical impairment and symptom burden and lower fitness and strength than early-stage survivors and non-cancer controls. Siobhan Phillips led a study that examined the feasibility and potential benefits of Fit2ThriveMB, a tailored mHealth intervention on physical activity. Read it here: https://buff.ly/3XjvtBc #breastcancer #oncology #fitness #exercise #cancer #physicalactivity #medicine #healthcare

During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine and mobile app use skyrocketed. However, prior research has found significant sociodemographic disparities in portal enrollment and messaging, specifically showing that patients who have a low income and are non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and uninsured are less likely to use patient portals. Joseph Feinglass worked alongside other researchers to identify sociodemographic and clinical disparities that continued during the pandemic. Read the full study here: https://buff.ly/3WZGS7Z #healthcare #medicine #mobileapp #telemedicine #pandemic #covid19

For young adults and children in the US, substance abuse remains a public health issue. Due to factors including exposure to stressors in their neighborhoods and racial discrimination, Black youths living in urban communities are at a heightened risk of poor outcomes associated with substance use and misuse. Sara Becker contributed to a study aiming to understand the cultural and environmental level factors that influence substance use among Black youths and develop a prevention program to increase parent-child substance use education among Black families. Read more here: https://buff.ly/3yVy0bp #substanceabuse #publichealth #racialdiscrimination #healthcare

Approximately 27% of US adults have some type of disability. Tara Lagu contributed to a study which characterized the extent to which information about disability accommodations is available on US hospital websites. Read it here: https://buff.ly/3WTDlbf #disability #accessibility #accommodations #healthcare #medicine