The Minnesota Learning Health System Mentored Career Development Program (MN-LHS) is pleased to welcome a second cohort of scholars to join the program in September. The MN-LHS K12 scholar training program is one of 11 institutions funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to support the training of researchers to conduct patient-centered outcomes research within learning health systems. Additional support for MN-LHS scholars is offered by the University of Minnesota Office of Academic Clinical Affairs.
Bjorn Berg, PhD Dr. Berg is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota. His current work centers on designing family medicine residency schedules. Dr. Berg’s time as an MN-LHS scholar will be spent in embedded collaboration with the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota to study balanced residency schedules.
Carolyn Bramante, MD, MPH Dr. Bramante is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Bramante’s clinical and research interests center around obesity treatment and prevention for children and adults. She researches ways to assist daily behavior change at home to achieve weight loss, as well as other weight management interventions. Dr. Bramante sees patients in the Comprehensive Weight Management Center and the Pediatric Weight Management Center at M Health Fairview. She received her MD and MPH from the University of Minnesota.
Sarah McCarthy, PhD, MPH, LP Dr. McCarthy is a pediatric psychologist and researcher at Mayo Clinic. Her project focuses on developing and evaluating care delivery models that consider, target, and act upon the diverse psychological and social needs of children with complex chronic diseases and their families. Dr. McCarthy is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Mayo Medical School.
Debbie Pestka, PharmD, PhD Dr. Pestka is a pharmacist and health services researcher at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. Dr. Pestka’s project evaluates the implementation and outcomes of comprehensive medication management services in Fairview Health Services’ population health primary care transformation.
Christopher Tignanelli, MD, MS Dr. Tignanelli is a trauma and critical care surgeon at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and North Memorial Health Hospital. His project focuses on reducing variability in the delivery of evidence-based practice for patients with rib fractures and other complex traumatic injuries. Dr. Tignanelli is currently an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the University of Minnesota Medical School and enrolled in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health’s M.S. in Clinical Research Program.
The incoming scholars join current scholars Dr. Elisheva Danan MD, MPH, of Minneapolis VA Center for Care Delivery and Outcomes Research, and Dr. Cory Schaffhausen, PhD, MS, of Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute.
