Julie Schmittdiel, PhD

People

Kaiser Permanente Division of Research
2000 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 891-3872 (phone)
julie.a.schmittdiel@kp.org
Kaiser Permanente Researcher Profiles

Julie A. Schmittdiel, PhD, is a Research Scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research. She holds a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an MA in Biostatistics and a PhD in Health Services and Policy Analysis from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Schmittdiel's career focuses on stakeholder engagement and translational research in diabetes and diabetes prevention, with a particular focus on improving medication adherence and cardiovascular disease risk factor control in diabetes patients. She has been principal or co-investigator on more than 20 delivery science and health policy research studies, and has published more than 130 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Schmittdiel serves as the Director of the National Institutes of Health-funded Health Delivery Systems Center for Diabetes Translational Research, the Co-Director of the T32 Training Program in Diabetes Translational Research, and is the Associate Director of the Kaiser Permanente Delivery Science Fellowship Program.

Current Position(s):

Research Scientist III, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Co-Director, T32 Diabetes Fellowship
Associate Director, Delivery Science Fellowship Program

Section Affiliations:

Health Care Delivery and Policy

Primary Research Interests:

Health services research
Primary care re-design
Chronic conditions management
Quality measurement

Related Website(s):

Center for Diabetes Translational Research

Studies

T32 Training Program in Diabetes Translational Research

Diabetes remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, and it is a significant burden to the U.S. health care system, patients, and their families. The knowledge and skills necessary to overcome the final translational block from evidence into practice require unique training in the area of delivery science, which includes health services research, translational research, and dissemination and implementation methods. To meet this need, the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research has created the Diabetes Delivery Science Training Program. This new program will directly address the need to augment the current research workforce by focusing on the skills needed to identify and overcome barriers to effective diabetes care within existing large-scale health care delivery systems. Two post-doctoral scientists will be enrolled per year for a two-year training program.

Investigator: Grant, Richard; Schmittdiel, Julie
Funder: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Supplement to T32 Training Program in Diabetes Translational Research

This administrative supplement solicited by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) will provide two to six medical students with summer training opportunities in translational research. This supplement allows the existing T32 program based at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research to host students who are participating in a broader NIDDK-administered program for introducing medical students to research in diabetes and diabetes prevention.

Investigator: Grant, Richard; Schmittdiel, Julie
Funder: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Predicting Successful Onboarding in the Medi-Cal Population

The purpose of this project is to examine quality indicators for key chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma for the Medi-Cal population served by Kaiser Permanente Northern California, and to see how these indicators vary by different population definitions/denominators. Key predictors will include patient characteristics and socioeconomic indicators at the census block level, as well as elements of the Medi-Cal onboarding process across the region.

Investigator: Schmittdiel, Julie
Funder: Kaiser Foundation Hospitals

Using Peer Support To Aid in PRevention and Treatment in Prediabetes (UPSTART)

This intervention trial has three specific aims: 1) To implement and test the effectiveness of a peer support model to initiate and sustain healthy diabetes-prevention behaviors in a lower-income, diverse population of prediabetes patients across three different care settings (Kaiser Permanente Northern California, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and a Federally Qualified Health Center); 2) To examine the patient, provider, and system-level mediators and moderators of the effectiveness of the peer support model across the three intervention sites; and 3) To examine the cost-effectiveness of the peer support model, and assess other factors related to the barriers and facilitators to adoption and spread, using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.
Investigator: Schmittdiel, Julie
Funder: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Health Delivery Systems Center for Diabetes Translational Research Pilot

The aims of this study are to: 1) support two pilot and feasibility studies in each year of the HDS-CDTR renewal; 2) conduct peer review of pilot and feasibility award applications on an annual basis, using the following criteria: overall impact; relevance to diabetes translational research; the promise for leading to an R-level grant submission; relevance to the Center's translational research cores; and support of the health care delivery system in which they are initiated; and 3) leverage the pilot and feasibility awards as a mechanism to support junior investigators in developing robust careers in translational research in diabetes and diabetes prevention.
Investigator: Schmittdiel, Julie
Funder: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Health Delivery Systems Center for Diabetes Translational Research

The Health Delivery Systems Center for Diabetes Translational Research (CDTR) supports diabetes translational research through mentoring and supporting junior faculty, and by fostering collaborations between investigators and health care systems. This is a renewal grant to fund the Center for an additional five years. The CDTR is an infrastructure and training grant, and does not directly fund research studies.
Investigator: Schmittdiel, Julie
Funder: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

The Safety and Effectiveness of Diabetes Quality Metrics in Elderly Patients

Improving health care quality for seniors with complex chronic conditions is a critical issue for health services and health policy research. Widely-used quality metrics for patients with chronic illness put forth by agencies such as HEDIS and CMS are often based on clinical trials evidence of reduced risk for clinical outcomes in younger study populations with fewer comorbidities, and may not be generalizable or appropriate for elderly patients. The primary goal of this study is to compare the effectiveness of meeting standard national quality metrics for diabetes medication adherence for specific medications, and to meeting HbA1c targets, on preventing adverse events, hospitalizations, and ED visits in elderly patients with diabetes.
Investigator: Schmittdiel, Julie
Funder: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Delivery Science Rapid Analysis Program II

The purpose of the Delivery Science Rapid Analysis Program is to create a mechanism that will solicit, prioritize and address rapidly-researchable analytic questions with high-value to both TPMG''s quality improvement initiatives and DOR''s research agenda. The Rapid Analysis program will specifically focus on short-term observational data analyses that can be completed within 6 months. The Delivery Science Rapid Analysis Program will provide timely, strategic data for quality improvement efforts at QOS and TPMG, and disseminate its findings widely both within Kaiser and externally.
Investigator: Schmittdiel, Julie
Funder: The Permanente Medical Group

Diabetes Screening and Care Received by the Mentally Ill in an Integrated System

This observational study will examine the level of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and A1c testing in patients with severe mental illness, and examine patient-level predictors of testing and FPG/A1c values.
Investigator: Schmittdiel, Julie
Funder: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Encouraging Mail Order Pharmacy Use to Improve Outcomes and Reduce Disparities

Previous research has shown that mail order pharmacy use is associated with improved adherence to cardiometabolic medications, and better LDL-C control in new statin users. In addition, mail order use is more common among white patients and those with higher SES. The purpose of this dissemination and implementation study is to conduct a randomized encouragement trial to test the effectiveness of strategies to encourage mail order pharmacy use in the overall population and among groups at risk for disparities in health outcomes, and to see if increased mail order use results in improved adherence and intermediate CVD risk factor outcomes.
Investigator: Schmittdiel, Julie
Funder: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Cardiovascular Benefits and Safety of Glucose-Lowering Therapies in Adults with Diabetes

Cardiovascular (CV) events are the most common cause of death among adults with type 2 diabetes. While the benefits and safety of commonly used blood pressure and cholesterol medications are well established, much less is known about the CV benefits and safety of many commonly used therapies to control glucose. In this project, we carefully assess the impact of specific glucose-lowering strategies on CV events (myocardial infarction and stroke) and on mortality, in order to identify whether some glucose-lowering strategies confer more CV benefit or risks than others. To address this important clinical and public health concern, we will test several specific comparative effectiveness hypotheses, in an electronic medical record-linked Health Care Systems Research Network-based registry of over 650,000 adults with diabetes receiving care in 4 large U.S. health care systems.
Investigator: Schmittdiel, Julie
Funder: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Highlighted Publications

The impact of telephonic wellness coaching on weight loss: A "Natural Experiments for Translation in Diabetes (NEXT-D)" study

Author(s): Schmittdiel JA; Adams SR; Goler N; Sanna RS; Boccio M; Bellamy DJ; Brown SD; Neugebauer RS; Ferrara A

Obesity (Silver Spring). 2017 Feb;25(2):352-356.

Current Position(s):

Section Affiliations:

Primary Research Interests:

Related Website(s):

Studies

T32 Training Program in Diabetes Translational Research

Supplement to T32 Training Program in Diabetes Translational Research

Predicting Successful Onboarding in the Medi-Cal Population

Using Peer Support To Aid in PRevention and Treatment in Prediabetes (UPSTART)

Health Delivery Systems Center for Diabetes Translational Research Pilot

Health Delivery Systems Center for Diabetes Translational Research

The Safety and Effectiveness of Diabetes Quality Metrics in Elderly Patients

Delivery Science Rapid Analysis Program II

Diabetes Screening and Care Received by the Mentally Ill in an Integrated System

Encouraging Mail Order Pharmacy Use to Improve Outcomes and Reduce Disparities

Cardiovascular Benefits and Safety of Glucose-Lowering Therapies in Adults with Diabetes

Highlighted Publications

The impact of telephonic wellness coaching on weight loss: A "Natural Experiments for Translation in Diabetes (NEXT-D)" study

Health Care System-level Factors Associated With Performance on Medicare STAR Adherence Metrics in a Large, Integrated Delivery System

Novel Use and Utility of Integrated Electronic Health Records to Assess Rates of Prediabetes Recognition and Treatment: Brief Report From an Integrated Electronic Health Records Pilot Study

System-based participatory research in health care: an approach for sustainable translational research and quality improvement

Publications

Building Toward a Population-Based Approach to Diabetes Screening and Prevention for US Adults

Pill, patch, or ring? A mixed methods analysis of provider counseling about combined hormonal contraception

Review of Metformin Use for Type 2 Diabetes Prevention

Influence of a New Diabetes Diagnosis on the Health Behaviors of the Patient's Partner

Diabetes and Prediabetes Prevalence by Race and Ethnicity Among People With Severe Mental Illness

The Relationship Between Prescription Copayments and Contraceptive Adherence in a New-user Cohort

Add-On Antihypertensive Medications to Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Blockers in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study

Diabetes Screening among Antipsychotic-Treated Adults with Severe Mental Illness in an Integrated Delivery System: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Crossing the Research to Quality Chasm: A Checklist for Researchers and Clinical Leadership Partners

Incidence of diabetes after a partner's diagnosis

Relationships Between Medication Adherence and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Control in Elderly Patients With Diabetes

The Delivery Science Rapid Analysis Program: A Research and Operational Partnership at Kaiser Permanente Northern California

Opportunities to Reduce Diabetes Risk in Women of Reproductive Age: Assessment and Treatment of Prediabetes within a Large Integrated Delivery System

Population Health Management for Diabetes: Health Care System-Level Approaches for Improving Quality and Addressing Disparities

A Two-Step Method to Identify Positive Deviant Physician Organizations of Accountable Care Organizations with Robust Performance Management Systems

Depressive symptoms and adherence to cardiometabolic therapies across phases of treatment among adults with diabetes: the Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE)

Improvements in access and care through the Affordable Care Act

The Implementation of Performance Management Systems in U.S. Physician Organizations

The impact of telephonic wellness coaching on weight loss: A "Natural Experiments for Translation in Diabetes (NEXT-D)" study

Identification of the joint effect of a dynamic treatment intervention and a stochastic monitoring intervention under the no direct effect assumption

Shared decision making in contraceptive counseling

Provider self-disclosure during contraceptive counseling

Medicare star excludes diabetes patients with poor CVD risk factor control

A Case Study of the Impact of Data-Adaptive Versus Model-Based Estimation of the Propensity Scores on Causal Inferences from Three Inverse Probability Weighting Estimators

The Diabetes Telephone Study; Design and challenges of a pragmatic cluster randomized trial to improve diabetic peripheral neuropathy treatment

Pre-visit prioritization for complex patients with Diabetes; Randomized Trial Design and Implementation within an Integrated Health Care system

​The Comparative Effectiveness of Diabetes Prevention Strategies to Reduce Postpartum Weight Retention in Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus; The Gestational Diabetes' Effects on Moms (GEM) Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Wellness Coaching for People With Prediabetes: A Randomized Encouragement Trial to Evaluate Outreach Methods at Kaiser Permanente, Northern California, 2013

Telephone-Based Coaching: A Comparison of Tobacco Cessation Programs in an Integrated Health Care System

Employer-Based Screening for Diabetes and Prediabetes in an Integrated Health Care Delivery System: A Natural Experiment for Translation in Diabetes (NEXT-D) Study

Medication Adherence Does Not Explain Black-White Differences in Cardiometabolic Risk Factor Control among Insured Patients with Diabetes

Creating patient-centered health care systems to improve outcomes and reduce disparities

Reach and Validity of an Objective Medication Adherence Measure Among Safety Net Health Plan Members with Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study

An Innovative Approach to Informing Research: Gathering Perspectives on Diabetes Care Challenges From an Online Patient Community

Methods for engaging stakeholders in comparative effectiveness research: A patient-centered approach to improving diabetes care

Evaluating diabetes health policies using natural experiments: the natural experiments for translation in diabetes study

Impact of a Pharmacy Benefit Change on New Use of Mail Order Pharmacy among Diabetes Patients; The Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE)

Health Care System-level Factors Associated With Performance on Medicare STAR Adherence Metrics in a Large, Integrated Delivery System

Determinants of Adherence to Diabetes Medications: Findings From a Large Pharmacy Claims Database

Changes in physical activity among adults with diabetes: a longitudinal cohort study of inactive patients with Type 2 diabetes who become physically active

Building a Career as a Delivery Science Researcher in a Changing Health Care Landscape

Bringing patients' social context into the examination room: an investigation of the discussion of social influence during contraceptive counseling

High-dimensional propensity score algorithm in comparative effectiveness research with time-varying interventions

Medicare Star excludes diabetes patients with poor CVD risk factor control

Randomized Trial of Telephone Outreach to Improve Medication Adherence and Metabolic Control in Adults With Diabetes

Diabetes care and outcomes for American Indians and Alaska natives in commercial integrated delivery systems; a SUrveillance, PREvention, and ManagEment of Diabetes Mellitus (SUPREME-DM) Study

Implications of different laboratory-based incident diabetic kidney disease definitions on comparative effectiveness studies

Intensification of antihyperglycemic therapy among patients with incident diabetes: a Surveillance Prevention and Management of Diabetes Mellitus (SUPREME-DM) study

Prescription medication burden in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes: A SUrveillance, PREvention, and ManagEment of Diabetes Mellitus (SUPREME-DM) study

Targeted learning in real-world comparative effectiveness research with time-varying interventions

Initial Persistence With Antihypertensive Therapies Is Associated With Depression Treatment Persistence, But Not Depression

Characteristics of Diabetic Patients associated with Achieving and Maintaining Blood Pressure Targets in the Adherence and Intensification of Medications Program

Exercise as a Vital Sign: A Quasi-Experimental Analysis of a Health System Intervention to Collect Patient-Reported Exercise Levels

Novel Use and Utility of Integrated Electronic Health Records to Assess Rates of Prediabetes Recognition and Treatment: Brief Report From an Integrated Electronic Health Records Pilot Study

Accuracy of hemoglobin A1c imputation using fasting plasma glucose in diabetes research using electronic health records data

Screening for impaired fasting glucose and diabetes using available health plan data

Safety and effectiveness of mail order pharmacy use in diabetes

Patient Satisfaction and Perceived Success with a Telephonic Health Coaching Program: The Natural Experiments for Translation in Diabetes (NEXT-D) Study, Northern California, 2011

The Comparative Effectiveness of Diabetes Prevention Strategies to Reduce Postpartum Weight Retention in Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus; The Gestational Diabetes' Effects on Moms (GEM) Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.