Innovative Research Shared During Health Services Research Day

researchers during symposium

Researchers across Georgia gathered at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health for the 11th Annual Health Services Research (HSR) Day hosted by Georgia CTSA and Emory Health Services Research Center. This annual event provided a platform for researchers to connect and share cutting-edge research focused on ongoing quality, effectiveness, and value-based research activities through featured talks, panel discussions, poster presentations, and more.

“As the Chair for 2025, I was delighted with how our 11th annual HSR Day proceeded. It was inspiring to witness the breadth of academic HSR being done across the campus and some nice collaborations starting to form. The day featured outstanding keynote speakers whose insights sparked important conversations about the future of health care research. We concluded with a lively career panel, where faculty at various career stages shared practical strategies for navigating success-guidance that was especially valuable given the current funding uncertainty in our field,” remarked Jessica Harding, PhD, Associate Professor, Emory.

Co-Chair Ambar Kulshreshtha, MD, Associate Professor, Emory, added, “HSR Day was a successful event with inspiring featured talks, rapid-fire oral presentations, a career panel, and a poster session on diverse topics in health services research. It was attended by faculty, staff, and trainees from across the state, including those from Emory, Grady, Morehouse, UGA, Georgia State, and Kaiser.”

HSR Day featured inspiring talks, including 'Lessons Learned from Transformation in Nephrology' by Amaka Eneanya, MD, MPH, Emory. Georgia CTSA Innovation Catalyst Director Wilbur A. Lam, MD, PhD, Emory, Georgia Tech, Children's, shared his innovative work as it relates to point-of-care diagnostics and translating scientific discoveries into real world innovative applications.

Special guest Jennifer DeVoe, MD, DPhil, Oregon Health & Science University, a practicing primary care physician and renowned health services researcher, delivered the keynote address on the critical role of primary care research in improving system effectiveness. She presented her pioneering work that utilizes EHR data to examine disparities in care, particularly among uninsured and underinsured populations, engaging the audience and inspiring commitment to the cause. 

In a post-event survey, attendees commented on many valuable aspects. “Health Services Research Day is one of my favorite events at Emory. It’s an ideal forum for trainees and early-career researchers to present their work, receive feedback, and build collaborations ahead of national meetings, without the need to travel far. It's a powerful showcase of the vibrant and collaborative health services research community across the region,” noted Ilana Graetz, PhD, Professor, Emory.

Georgia CTSA Network Capacity Director Neal Dickert, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Emory, agreed, “HSR Day was a great success thanks to the hard work of the co-chairs and planning committee, HSR Center and Georgia CTSA staff, and scholars across our community and region who shared their work. Our featured faculty speakers shared fresh insights regarding their career journeys and the ways that they have integrated HSR into their innovative work ranging from health care innovation to device development and implementation. The keynote speaker gave an inspiring talk about the importance and breadth of opportunities for learning from the laboratory of community-based healthcare. In a time of uncertainty and change in the academic world, the day was energizing, motivating, and inspiring. Most importantly, it was a reminder of the need for health services research and the impact it can have on the lives of patients and communities.”

Congratulations to the following award winners:

Outstanding Oral Abstract

  • Ashli Owen-Smith, PhD, SM, Georgia State, ‘Mindful Mood Balance for Moms: Findings from a Pragmatic Trial’
    • "The annual Health Services Research Day was a fantastic forum for sharing the results of our Mindful Mood Balance for Moms study; we had some lively discussions and helpful feedback! We were honored to receive the Outstanding Oral Presentation award, and look forward to future opportunities to engage with colleagues with whom we connected at the conference.”

Poster Presentation Winners

1st Place

  • Maryam Kheirandish Borujeni, PhD, Emory, ‘Machine Learning and SHAP value Insights into Multi-Level Social Determinants of Treatment Refusal among HPV-Associated Cancer Patients’
    • “Our study uses advanced machine learning methods and SEER-Medicare data to identify key social and clinical drivers of treatment refusal among older adults with HPV-associated cancers, such as older age, advanced cancer stage, lack of Medicare Advantage enrollment, and area-level vulnerabilities. Understanding these drivers is essential for addressing barriers to treatment adherence and ultimately reducing cancer mortality in aging populations. The most valuable part of presenting at the Annual Health Services Research Day was engaging with fellow researchers and receiving thoughtful feedback that will help propel this work forward.”

2nd Place

  • Heesu Park, BS, Emory, ‘The Scope of Practice of Inpatient and Outpatient Pediatric Palliative Care within Pediatric Oncology’
    • "My research has focused on understanding how pediatric palliative care leads to improved end-of-life outcomes for children with cancer. This work has been personally meaningful in shaping the type of physician I hope to become. To me, the most valuable aspect of this conference was the opportunity to learn from such a diverse, passionate group of researchers."

3rd Place

  • Valentina Larrivey, MPH/MD candidate, Emory, ‘A Qualitative Exploration of the Impact of Abortion Restrictions on People with High-Risk Pregnancies in Georgia (GA): EAR on GA'
    • "Through this work, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the importance of community-engaged research and uplifting patients’ voices to show how policy decisions can negatively impact patient care, safety, and well-being. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to present this work, connect with colleagues across disciplines, and learn about the incredible research being done to advance clinical care and health services."