|
|
A Note from Our Directors
|
Dear readers,
We’re excited to share updates from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) Delivery Science Fellowship (DSF). This newsletter highlights the impactful work of our fellows—past and present—who continue to advance research seeking to improve how health care is delivered in real-world settings.
This Fall, we’ve welcomed a new cohort of fellows into our two-year postdoctoral program. These talented researchers will be working closely with mentors at the KPNC Division of Research to tackle care delivery challenges through stakeholder engagement, data analysis, and dissemination of findings. We’re proud to continue our tradition of training fellows from a wide range of clinical and research disciplines, including medicine, health policy, epidemiology, and clinical informatics.
Be sure to keep an eye out for application updates at our our website and get in touch by email at DOR-Fellowship@kp.org.
|
|
Richard W. Grant, MD, MPH
DSF Director
|
Esti Iturralde, PhD
DSF Associate Director
|
|
|
|
We are accepting applications for our next round of fellows (deadline: 5pm PT on November 7th, 2025). Learn more
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Alumni Update
Sam Savitz, PhD |
|
We caught up with former fellow, Sam Savitz, PhD, to learn about his current work and what the DSF meant to him. Learn more about Sam and his work here.
Tell us about yourself.
I am currently a research scientist at the Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery at Mayo Clinic. My work focuses on research that deals directly with the needs of clinical practice. I collaborate closely with health system leadership to identify priority areas for research support. Our projects often involve pragmatic clinical trials or retrospective health record analyses aimed at enhancing operational decision-making.
What have you been up to since completing the Delivery Science Fellowship?
I have continued to work on cardiovascular disease-related projects, particularly focusing on heart failure, while also branching out into mental health-related work, including a project focused on bipolar disorder.
How do you think about delivery science in your current work if at all?
I try to understand the needs of stakeholders, including practice leaders and clinicians, to ensure that my research addresses the most pressing questions in care delivery. Delivery science principles help shape my studies, as I aim to create actionable insights that can lead to meaningful improvements in patient outcomes.
What are 1 or 2 things you learned during your fellowship that you still think about or find helpful?
In addition to learning the importance of engaging with stakeholders, one key takeaway was learning to critically assess whether there is sufficient buy-in to implement changes based on research findings. Without a true commitment of resources and buy-in, it is hard to meaningfully change care delivery.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I enjoy outdoor activities such as biking, running, and hiking, and also trivia nights where I get to test my knowledge in history and geography.
What advice would you offer early-stage investigators who want their work to meaningfully impact care delivery?
My advice would be to prioritize learning about the diverse perspectives of your key stakeholders before embarking on your research.
|
|
|
|
Fellow Updates
|
|
|
 |
Andrew Huang, PhD (cand) will be joining us from Brown University where he is earning his PhD in Health Services Research. He will explore data to improve care processes in the ED setting with mentorship by Dr. Mary Reed.
|
|
|
|
Jacquelyn Roger, PhD is a first-year fellow joining us from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She will address research gaps related to gynecologic care with mentorship from Dr. Susanna Mitro and Dr. Monique Hedderson.
View profile
|
|
|
|
Michael Ou, MD is a first-year Informatics Track fellow joining us from UCSF where he is completing his residency in general surgery. His research is examining the potential role of AI to improve surgical care and outcomes with mentorship from Dr. Vinnie Liu.
View profile
|
|
|
|
Max Goldman, MD is a clinical delivery science fellow who is studying ways to promote evidence-based therapy in the treatment of moderate to severe inflammatory bowel disease. He is working with mentor Dr. Jeff Lee.
View profile
|
|
|
|
Marie-Laure Charpignon, PhD is an Informatics Track fellow from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is jointly supported by UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on causal inference methods in pharmacoepidemiology. She is mentored by Drs. Paola Gilsanz, Vincent Liu, Romain Neugebauer, and Cathy Schaefer.
View profile
|
|
|
|
Jorge Ledesma, PhD, MPH is a second-year fellow who is studying factors in effective delivery of infectious disease care, with mentorship by Dr. Jacek Skarbinski, and patterns of treatment adherence in risk of cardiovascular disease in breast cancer patients, with mentorship by Dr. Marilyn Kwan. He earned his PhD in Epidemiology from Brown University School of Public Health.
View profile
|
|
|
|
Shannon Ogden, PhD, MPH is a second-year fellow who is conducting research on intimate partner violence, substance use, mental health, and the integration of health care and social services with her scientific mentor Dr. Kelly Young-Wolff. She earned her PhD in Health Services from Boston University.
View profile
|
|
|
|
Other Delivery Science Fellowship Links
|
|
2nd year fellow, Shannon Ogden, PhD was selected for the 2026-26 JAMA Network Peer Review Academy
|
|
|
|
1st year fellow, Michael Ou, MD, will be leading a podium presentation at the upcoming meeting held from Feb 4 to 8 2026.
|
|
|
|
Stay up-to-date on research by DOR investigators and fellows
|
|
|
|
Find options to subscribe or unsubscribe at this link.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Miss a newsletter or want to read it again? Visit the Newsletter Archive |
|
|
|