Center for Evidence-Based Practice in the Underserved

Reducing Health Disparities Through Informatics (RHeaDI) Program

Directors: Suzanne Bakken, RN, DNSc, FAAN

Co-director: George Hripcsak, MD

The overarching premise of the Reducing Health Disparities Through Informatics (RHeaDI) training program is that informatics infrastructure, processes, and applications are essential components of a system to facilitate evidence-based practice, to reduce health disparities, and to promote patient and public safety. Through funding from the National Institute of Nursing Research (T32NR07969), RHeaDI provides post-doctoral and pre-doctoral trainees with a monthly stipend as well as funds for partial tuition support.

Pre-doctoral Trainees

  • Jacqueline Anne Merrill (2002-2006)
    Current Position: Associate Research Scientist, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University
    Research Interest: Public Health Informatics
    Training Mentor: Bakken
    Dissertation Title: A Network Analysis of Information Use in a Public Health Organization

  • Tsai-Ya Lai (2002-2006)
    Current position: Engineer/System Analyst - Information Technology Emerging Service Department, Communication System Division, Information & Communications Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Research Interest: Mental Health; HIV/AIDS; Consumer Informatics; Interactive System Design and Evaluation; Health Behavior Change
    Training Mentor: Bakken
    Dissertation Title: Design and Evaluation of HIV-TIDES-Tailored Interventions for Management of Depressive Symptoms in Persons Living with HIV/AIDS

  • Cara Sue Schlegel (2004-2005)
    Current position: Nurse Informaticist, Christus Santa Rosa Health Care, TX
    Research Interest: Computer-based provider order entry
    Training Mentor: Bakken

  • Sarah Anne Collins (2005-2009)
    Current Position: Post-doctoral Trainee, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University
    Research Interest: Patient safety and informatics
    Training Mentor: Currie
    Dissertation Title: Informatics Methods to Understand Interdisciplinary Communication Related to Common Goals in the Intensive Care Unit

  • Maryelena Vargas, RN, DNSc (2006-2008)
    Current Position: Joint Practice Clinician Center for Nursing Practice-Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, Ramapo College of New Jersey-EHMC Joint B.S.N. Program
    Research Interest: Information and communication needs of Latinas during lactation
    Training Mentor: Bakken

  • Sunmoo Yoon (2007 -)
    Current Trainee
    Research Interest: Self management using informatics
    Training Mentor: Bakken

  • Andrew Philips (2008 - )
    Current Trainee
    Research Interest: Electronic Health Records, Personal Health Records, Information networks for sharing health information.
    Training Mentor: Bakken

  • Njoki Ng'ang'a (2009 - 2010)
    Current Trainee
    Research Interests: Human resource development in resource poor countries.
    Training Mentor: Byrne

    • Post-doctoral Trainees

  • Jeungok Choi, RN, PhD (2003-2006)
    Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
    Research Interest: Web-based educational materials for patients and their caregivers with low literate skills
    Training Mentor: Bakken

  • Tsai-Ya Lai, RN, MPH, DNSc (2006-2007)
    Current position: Engineer/System Analyst - Information Technology Emerging Service Department, Communication System Division, Information & Communications Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute.
    Research Interest: Mental Health; HIV/AIDS; Consumer Informatics; Interactive System Design and Evaluation; Health Behavior Change
    Training Mentor: Bakken

  • Robert Lucero, RN, MPH, PhD (2008-2010)
    Research Interest: Nursing Knowledge Discovery through Informatics; Nursing Decision Support Systems and Alerts; Measuring Nursing Care Quality through Informatics.
    Training Mentor: Bakken

  • Dean Wantland, RN, PhD (2008-2009)
    Research Interest: Informatics for HIV Symptom Management. The development, testing, and use of web-based and non web-based study methods and interventions for HIV symptom self-management and patient outcome improvement in symptom frequency and intensity, treatment adherence, and quality of life.
    Training Mentor: Bakken

Pre-doctoral Trainee Application

PhD Program in Nursing School of Nursing
PhD Program Department of Biomedical Informatics

Post-doctoral Trainee Information: contact Suzanne Bakken