Impactful Research Showcased During Health Services Research Day

Georgia CTSA and Emory Health Services Research Center were excited to host over 140 researchers for the 10th Annual Health Services Research Day at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. During this symposium and networking opportunity, researchers across Georgia learned about ongoing quality, effectiveness, and value-based research activities, showcasing the latest research during featured talks, oral abstracts, and poster sessions.

“What I enjoyed most about our 10th Annual Health Services Research Day was the collaboration across institutions including Emory, Morehouse, UGA, Georgia Tech, and researchers across Georgia, as well as the variety of excellent presenters from undergraduate students to faculty. Health Services Research Day 2024 represented diversity at its best,” remarks Health Services Research Day Chair Zanthia Wiley, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Emory.

Highlights of the featured talks included a compelling lecture, 'Geography, Access, and Health Equity,' by Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS, Dean, Emory School of Medicine, Chief Academic Officer, Emory Healthcare.

 

This year’s keynote was an insightful presentation, ‘Medication Affordability and Progress on Lowering Drug Prices in the United States,’ delivered by speaker Stacie B. Dusetzina, PhD, Professor of Health Policy and Ingram, Professor Cancer Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “HSR Day 2024 was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the breadth of HSR work being done across the Georgia CTSA, and to foster new and existing collaborations,” says Co-Chair Jessica Harding, PhD, Assistant Professor, Emory. “Our keynote speaker, Dr. Dusetzina, was a stellar example of how simple yet thoughtful work can be done in the HSR space to make meaningful impact.

Awards were presented for the best oral abstract and poster presentations.

Outstanding Oral Abstract

• Julia Felrice, MPH, Emory University, ‘Antibiotic Prescription Rates in Telemedicine vs In-person Primary Care Clinic Visits’
  • “One of the goals of Health Services Research is to examine the factors that affect access to healthcare. The chairs of the conference saw the importance of my research into racial disparities of antibiotic prescribing patterns in primary care by visit modality. Telemedicine has great potential for healthcare yet it’s important for these health benefits to be accessible by all patients.”

Poster Presentation Winners

1^st Place

• Nemin Wu, PhD student, University of Georgia, ‘Urban-Rural Disparities of Trauma Care Accessibility in Georgia’
  • “Participating in the 10th Annual Health Services Research Day was not only a privilege but also a pivotal experience for my research career. Health Services Research Day at Emory University is an exceptional platform to connect with fellow public health researchers and inspire deeper reflection on critical issues such as geography, access, and equity in health services. The opportunity to present our findings on the accessibility of trauma care allowed us to receive valuable feedback and directions for future research.” 

2^nd Place (Tie)

• Sonia Tetlow, PhD, MPH, Emory University, ‘Is Equal Cost-sharing Enough? Evaluating the Impact of Medicare Mental Health Parity Among Beneficiaries with Depression’
  • “I think it’s critical to examine the impact of policies intended to increase access to mental health services to determine whether they were successful in addressing the multiple, interconnected barriers to mental health services overall and among populations that historically have experienced disparities in mental health diagnoses and treatment. During HSR Day, I really appreciated the opportunity to connect with other health services researchers and learn more about the diversity of work in the field. The keynote presentations and expert panel discussion also were informative, thought-provoking, and inspiring.”

• Freddie Yang, MA, PhD student, Health Policy and Management, Emory University, ‘Association of Perceived Discrimination on Patient-Physician Communication and Quality of Life Among Breast Cancer Survivors’
  • “We study the adverse effect of discrimination on mental and physical health of breast cancer survivors. Our findings further indicate that patient-provider communication is not a significant mediator of such an effect. This suggests that addressing this issue requires the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders within the healthcare system, rather than solely relying on healthcare providers.”

3^rd Place

• Omid Razmpour, BSN, RN, School of Nursing, Emory University, ‘Assessing the Value of Nursing: A Multidimensional Financial Analysis of Nursing Labor Variability’
  • “To me, research serves as a means to create a tangible impact. The nursing workforce is currently at a crucial juncture, with significant repercussions for patients and the broader healthcare system. This research seeks to develop a practical and actionable framework to assess the cost of nurse turnover, advocating for increased investment in nurse retention.”

In a post-event survey, HSR Day received a 4.6/5 rating and comments including: well-organized, great research on display, and wonderful speakers with thoughtful sessions. When asked, ‘What were the most valuable aspects of Health Services Research Day?’ attendees responded: “It was nice hearing what other research even the judges engage in. I think it’s important to synthesize different topics, and see if it can be applied to your own research,” “Getting to know all the HSR going on at the Georgia CTSA institutions,” and “Dr. Dusetzina's discussion was engaging and fascinating. It is always a good sign when we are still discussing the topic hours after.”

Thank you to our planning committee, keynote speaker, featured speakers, staff volunteers, abstract reviewers, and poster judges who helped make this event possible! Learn more about Health Services Research Day.