Research

View Dr. Rosland's presentation on our Innovations in Complex Chronic Disease Management

Our mission is to work to improve health and healthcare for adults with complex chronic health conditions through interdisciplinary research, evaluation, and innovative program development. While we work on multiple topics related to this mission, much of our research falls into these two themes:

Family and Social Support in Chronic Condition Management

Challenges to controlling risk factors put millions of U.S. adults at high risk of disabling complications from chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. 75% of adults with chronic health conditions reach out to an unpaid family member or friend for ongoing help with managing their condition, yet few interventions directly engage patients' supportive family members in their healthcare. Our center researches and tests ways to mobilize the power of patients’ social networks to support adults with chronic condition management challenges.

High-Risk Complex Patients in Primary Care

The 5% most complex patients account for 50% of healthcare system costs and hospitalizations, and many complex patients require intensive care coordination with multiple specialty care services to improve their health outcomes. Tools available to Primary Care teams can identify patients at high risk for hospitalization, but care teams still struggle to determine what high-risk patients’ care needs are, how to prioritize resources among high-risk patients, and where patients’ care coordination should be centered. Our center works to develop and evaluate new approaches to caring for healthcare systems’ most complex and high-risk patients. A major focus is on creating data-driven tools that can proactively and efficiently tailor care plans to match patient needs.

For information on our specific studies, please navigate to the Core Projects page.