Research Programs

The Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care prioritizes research that seeks to improve and measure the quality and outcomes of health care delivery for patients, systems and communities.

Areas of focus span new payment mechanisms to innovative ways to measure patient-reported outcomes. These efforts — led by Alex Haynes, M.D., MPH, the department’s associate chair of investigation and discovery — help the department accurately evaluate the value of care provided to patients and identify key areas for quality and cost improvement. The department aims to incorporate a health equity lens into all its research.

Researchers

The department team values collaboration within and across disciplines. The researchers conduct population-oriented research, including health services research, patient-centered outcomes, population health and health economics. The team prioritizes innovative research that has the potential to transform surgical care delivery. The department’s researchers had or participate in a variety of sponsored projects, from federally funded grants to industry-funded clinical trials.

Student Research Opportunities

The department offers the Value-Based Health Care Research Internship for accepted first-year medical students seeking a summer opportunity and the Orthopaedic Value-Based Health Care Fellowship for medical students seeking a gap year opportunity.

The department also accepts applications on a rolling basis for U.S. and international visiting scholars. The project period is three to six months or up to two years.

Research Committees

The department’s Research Strategy Committee supports departmental research strategy, including enabling mentorship, increasing extramural funding and incorporating a health equity lens into research.

The department’s Research Engagement Committee plans and supports the Annual Research Symposium and provides input into the Discovery and Investigation Seminar Series.