Overview
I am an Associate Professor in Weill Cornell’s Department of Population Health Sciences. My research program is supported by three active awards from the National Institute on Aging and is concentrated on examining the organization of the clinical workforce in nursing homes and the quality of care provided by these facilities. For example, I have multiple projects underway to examine whether physicians and advanced practitioners who primarily practice in nursing homes, often referred to as “SNFists,” provide higher quality of care to residents than other clinicians.
Since the spring of 2020, I have also committed a substantial amount of effort towards studies examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing homes, producing among the first studies to identify the characteristics of facilities associated morbidity and mortality of individuals residing in them. This includes an analysis of nursing home characteristics associated with resident COVID-19 morbidity in communities with high infection rates, in addition to the first study to outline federal and state responses addressing COVID-19 in nursing homes.
I also devote a substantial amount of effort to education. I founded the Master of Science program in Health Policy and Economics at Weill Cornell in 2015 and served as its director until 2020. I continue teach a course each year, Introduction to US Healthcare Policy and Delivery, and regularly mentor students.
Highlights
- 1JAMA network open · 2024
- 2Health affairs scholar · 2024
- 3
Publications
Funding
Active
8 grants- Co-IRF1AG092808-01A1Long-term health effects of disasters on post acute care of patients with Alzheimers Dementia and other vulnerable groupsNational Institute on Aging · 2026–2030
- Co-IR01DK144679-01Hospital-to-SNF Transitions of Care in Patients with End-Stage Kidney DiseaseNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases · 2025–2030
- Co-IR01AG089702-01Telehealth Use and the Quality of End-of-Life Care for Nursing Home Residents with Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease-Related DementiasNational Institute on Aging · 2024–2028
- PIRF1AG089362-01Telehealth Use in Nursing Homes and the Quality of Care for Long-Stay Residents with Alzheimer's Disease and Related DementiasNational Institute on Aging · 2024–2027
- Sub-PIRF1AG085419-01A1Advanced Provider Care Models and Health Outcomes of Nursing Home Residents with DementiaNational Institute on Aging · 2024–2027 · via University of Pennsylvania
- Co-IRF1AG082059-01A1REIT Investments in Nursing Homes and the Quality of End of Life Care for Residents with Alzheimer's Disease and Related DementiasNational Institute on Aging · 2024–2027
- Co-IR01AG072605-01A1Skilled Nursing Facility Participation in Health Information Exchange and Quality of Care for Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related DementiasNational Institute on Aging · 2022–2026
- Sub-PIR01AG070944-05Post-acute care outcomes of patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: the Role of Skilled Nursing Facility SpecialistsNational Institute on Aging · 2021–2025 · via University of Pennsylvania
Completed grants (12)
- PIR01AG072546-03Higher Primary Care Reimbursements and the Quality of Care for Dually-Eligible Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias in Skilled Nursing FacilitiesNational Institute on Aging · 2021–2025
- PIK01AG057824-05Do physicians who specialize in nursing home care provide higher quality care for nursing home residents with Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias?National Institute on Aging · 2018–2024Career
- Co-IR01AG063935-01A1Higher Reimbursements for Primary Care Services and the Quality of Care for Dually-Eligible Nursing Home Residents with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.National Institute on Aging · 2020–2024
- Co-IPF 170352-01Weill Cornell Center for the Study of Physician Practice and LeadershipPhysicians Foundation, Inc. · 2018–2022
- Co-ILJAF 21-05529Real Estate Investment Trust Acquisition of Nursing Homes and the Cost and Quality of Nursing Home CareLaura & John Arnold Foundation · 2021–2022
- Co-IR01HS025716-03Primary Care Physician-Staff Dyads (“Teamlets”): A Simple, Efficient Means to Improve Healthcare Quality and Decrease Cost?Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality · 2018–2022
- Co-IR56AG072605-01Skilled Nursing Facility Participation in Health Information Exchange and Quality of Care for Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related DementiasNational Institute on Aging · 2021–2022
- Co-I19-02836Private Equity Firms, Physician Management Companies and the Prices, Cost and Quality of Medical CareLaura & John Arnold Foundation · 2019–2021
- Co-ISRA 180117-01Environmental Scan of LTPAC Interoperable Health Information Technology Capabilities (HIMSS contract)Indiana University · 2018–2019Contract
- PI73805The Medicaid Fee Bump: Increased Reimbursements to Primary Care Providers and Health Care Utilization Among Dual-Eligibles With Chronic ConditionsRobert Wood Johnson Foundation · 2016–2018
- Sub-PIR01AG047180-03Emerging Role of Medicare Advantage in Nursing Home CareNational Institute on Aging · 2014–2018 · via Brown University
- PIR36HS020756-01The Impact of Coordinating Medicare and Medicaid benefits for the dually-eligibleNIH · 2011–2012 · via NIH RePORTER
Clinical research
Completed & closed trials (4)
- PIImpact of Medicaid Nursing Home Bed-Hold Policy on Health Outcomes and Healthcare Costs Among Medicare ResidentsWeill Medical College of Cornell University · CLOSED TO ACCRUAL (as of 2025)
- PIPost-acute care outcomes of patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: the Role of Skilled Nursing Facility SpecialistsUniversity of Pennsylvania · CLOSED TO ACCRUAL (as of 2024)
- PIPrimary Care Physician Specialization within Settings: a Cohort Study of US Physicians Treating Older Adults 2014-2017Weill Medical College of Cornell University · IRB STUDY CLOSURE (as of 2023)
- PIPhysicians and advanced practitioners specializing in assisted living care, 2014-2017Weill Medical College of Cornell University · IRB STUDY CLOSURE (as of 2021)
News mentions
- Fixing America’s Nursing Home Crisis Requires New Ideas and StrategiesJuly 4, 2026
An aging Baby Boomer generation and contracting nursing home supply will put unprecedented pressure on long-term nursing home services in the United States.
- Specialized Nursing Facility Clinicians Improve End-of-Life CareMarch 15, 2024
Specialized nursing facility clinicians, or SNFists, may decrease the likelihood of nursing home residents experiencing stressful hospitalizations and improve the quality of life in their last days, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine.
- Private Equity Ownership of Nursing Homes Linked to Lower Quality of Care, Higher Medicare CostsNovember 19, 2021
Nursing homes acquired by private equity companies saw an increase in emergency room visits and hospitalizations among long-stay residents and an uptick in Medicare costs, according to a new study from Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.