Clinician-researchers will work with Division of Research investigators to develop systematic evaluations of clinical care
Seven physicians with The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) were selected for the 2025 DARE Physician Researcher Program (PRP) cohort. This is the fourth cohort to join the program since it was founded in 2017 through a partnership between TPMG and the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research (DOR).
“Clinician researchers, embedded within clinical care, are core to identifying the biggest questions within their specialties, answering those questions, and helping implement change. They put the ‘evidence’ in evidence-based care,” said Douglas Corley, MD, PhD, chief research officer for TPMG and DOR research scientist. “We are so fortunate to have these 7 new clinician-researchers join the PRP.”
The new physician researchers kicked off their work in August, as they began collaborating with their specialty chief’s group, DOR associate directors, members of the Delivery Science and Applied Research (DARE) program team members, and the 13 current PRP physicians.
“At the heart of the learning health system are dedicated clinicians who want to systematically examine the care that we provide, find ways to improve it, and then integrate change that helps our patients lead healthier, longer lives,” said DARE Director and DOR research scientist Jacek Skarbinski, MD. “I am thrilled to be working with this new cohort of clinician-researchers joining the PRP.”
The 7 new physician researchers selected by TPMG regional executives and clinical specialty leads and their areas of interest are:
Jason Balkman, MD: Reducing critical errors in radiology reports using on-premises large language models
Balkman is a radiologist with a subspeciality in breast imaging who uses advanced imaging to detect cancer and diagnose other conditions.
Research project: My research explores inhabited artificial intelligence (AI), technology that blends into clinical life, becoming essential while fading into the background. I focus on how providers cohabitate with AI using dashboards and language models to surface insights at the point of care.
The opportunity: “Every morning, I wake up excited to learn from people outside my area of expertise,” said Balkman. “For me, the Physician Researcher Program represents the intersection of research, technology, patient care, and the dedicated Kaiser Permanente staff who support those distinct arms of medicine.”
DOR Mentor: Vincent Liu, MD, MS
Dustin Ballard, MD: Incorporating emergency medical services (EMS) data into emergency department (ED) risk stratification tools: a triage-based proof of concept study
Ballard is an emergency medicine physician at the Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center and a member of the CREST Network.
Research project: The clinical goal of this work is to safely improve ED triage of 911 EMS patients by using electronic data available at the time of EMS arrival. Safe and effective sorting of EMS patients will improve ED throughput, which will beneficially impact downstream inpatient services.
The opportunity: “What doesn’t excite me about joining the PRP?” said Ballard. “This is an amazing opportunity to work with a group of smart and accomplished physician-researchers on practice-changing research while representing my awesome colleagues and collaborators.”
DOR Mentor: Mary Reed, DrPH
Lisa Gilliam, MD, PhD: Development and evaluation of a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)-based decision support tool for primary care providers
Gilliam is an endocrinologist who has practiced at TPMG since 2012. She serves as the research liaison for the TPMG’s Diabetes Population Care program, the Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Leader, and the diabetes technology leader.
Research project: My work will combine a research passion with a critical operational need to develop tools by which primary care providers can utilize complex CGM data to guide appropriate treatment decisions in their patients.
The opportunity: “I consider my selection as a member of the upcoming PRP cohort to be the highlight of my career at TPMG,” said Gilliam. “I’m truly excited to engage with such a brilliant group of physician researchers — there’s so much I can learn from them!”
DOR Mentor: Andrew Karter, PhD
Jonathan Liang, MD, MPH: Outcomes and utilization of dupilumab for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps
Liang is a staff otolaryngologist–head and neck surgeon who specializes in the comprehensive medical and surgical management of chronic and complex sinonasal disease, as well as sinonasal and skull base tumors.
Research project: My research focus is on outcomes of biologic medications for chronic sinus disease and nasal polyps, a very new and exciting area of research that is changing the management paradigm of upper airway disease and achieving profound quality of life improvement for patients.
The opportunity: “I am so excited and thankful to be joining the Physician Researcher Program at TPMG,” said Liang. “This program really allows clinician-scientists to collaborate in a supportive scholarly community, strengthen essential research skills, and conduct important projects that will optimize clinical care for our patients.”
DOR Mentor: Michael Silverberg, PhD, MPH
Nareg Roubinian, MD: Development and evaluation of risk stratification tools to aid decision making on pulmonary nodules suspicious for lung cancer
Roubinian is a pulmonary and critical care specialist at Kaiser Permanente Oakland and Richmond Medical Centers. He leads the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellowship program.
Research project: My research will provide insight into the effectiveness of the #PUL5 program, a unique TPMG initiative to expedite the care of patients with pulmonary nodules suspicious for lung cancer.
The opportunity: “I am most looking forward to being part of a collaborative group of KP colleagues supporting one another in our individual research projects,” said Roubinian
DOR Mentor: Lori Sakoda, MD
Fernando Velayos, MD: Identifying barriers and facilitators to biosimilar use in inflammatory bowel disease: creating a culture of confidence with data
Velayos is the director of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program.
Research project: My research will focus on addressing the safety of efficacy of biosimilars as well as physician and patient concerns with their use in order to improve confidence, increase affordability, and ultimately improve access to these highly effective and life changing therapies.
The opportunity: “I am excited to join a cadre of accomplished researchers and mentors who are focused not only on discovery but implementing that knowledge into improving the lives of our members,” said Velayos. “In these challenging times, this unique program is an incredible investment in our physicians, in research, and improving care. I am excited to be part of this next cohort and look forward to learning from my colleagues in this collaborative environment.”
DOR Mentor: Jeffrey Lee, MD, MPH
Edward Yap, MD: Outcomes of multimodal analgesia and regional anesthesia utilization in the geriatric population across Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Yap is a senior physician and practicing anesthesiologist and voluntary assistant professor at UCSF, where he mentors medical students, residents, and fellows.
Research project: We will study the impact of the roll out of the Geriatric Surgical Verification program, a perioperative surgical pathway from the American College of Surgeons to understand the program’s effects on outcomes for these patients.
The opportunity: “One of the most exciting parts of the program is the chance to collaborate across clinical specialties, and with a multitude of research scientists and data analysts, to discover and research important areas that can meaningfully improve patient care and outcomes,” said Yap. “I am also looking forward to the mentorship and growth this program offers, as well as the opportunity to translate research into real-world impact by partnering with stakeholders and operational leaders to turn insights into action.”
DOR Mentor: Mary Reed, DrPH
Comments (0)