Mathematica is pleased to announce the appointment of Catherine DesRoches, Debra Lipson, and Lorenzo Moreno as senior fellows. This title recognizes the national reputations they have built as thought leaders in their fields, as well as their strong leadership in helping us achieve our mission of informing policy debates to improve public well-being.
Catherine DesRoches is an expert in designing and conducting surveys of physicians and nurses, with a special focus on the adoption and use of health information technology (HIT) and electronic medical records. Among her notable research contributions to the policy discussion on HIT, she leads a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)-funded project on electronic health record (EHR) adoption that produces high-profile annual reports. She is a valued speaker at conferences and policy forums, including those hosted by the American Nurses Association, Harvard Medical School, and the National Committee for Quality Assurance. A recipient of several awards, DesRoches sits on four panels or committees of prominent national organizations and is a prolific author cited often in the national press. Before joining Mathematica in 2011, she conducted research and taught at Harvard Medical School.
"Cait has played a pivotal role in developing our expertise in conducting surveys for health care professionals," said Amy Johnson, senior vice president and director of Mathematica's Surveys and Information Services Division. "She was also instrumental in developing measures of HIT adoption now used across several important federal data collections."
Debra Lipson has achieved national prominence as a health policy researcher and thought leader in Medicaid managed care and long-term services and supports. She is skilled at translating research findings into implications for policy and program design. Lipson currently directs one of Mathematica's largest Medicaid technical assistance projects for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). She has also provided direction to the national Money Follows the Person Demonstration evaluation and led expert panels for the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Payment and Access Commission. Lipson has presented at several National Association of Medicaid Directors conferences. She has contributed to many peer-reviewed publications, recently authored a book chapter on family caregiving, and serves as a reviewer for federal agency grants, Health Affairs, and the Journal of Applied Gerontology. Before joining Mathematica in 2005, Lipson worked at the Institute for the Future of Aging Services, where she managed the Better Jobs Better Care Program.
"Debra is recognized both within Mathematica and the general field as a leader in understanding Medicaid policy, particularly with respect to how long-term support services can best improve the lives of people with complex medical and functioning issues," said Christopher Trenholm, vice president and managing director of health research.
Lorenzo Moreno has an unparalleled reputation for leadership in evaluation of health care delivery systems and has been at the forefront of Mathematica's research in financial incentives for the adoption and use of EHRs. This leadership extends to evaluations of social programs in Latin America. He has conducted groundbreaking research in the use and adoption of HIT, including an evaluation for RWJF on the use of personal health records for underserved populations, as well as a study for the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation evaluating EHR use among Medicare beneficiaries. Both projects were outgrowths of his widely cited evaluation of home-based telemedicine to serve high-cost Medicare beneficiaries. Currently, he directs the high-profile Health Care Innovation Award Primary Care Redesign evaluation, recognized by CMS as a model of quality and effective management. Moreno has published in many peer-reviewed journals, such as Health Affairs, Diabetes Care, Social Science and Medicine, and The American Statistician, on substantive and methodological topics. He joined Mathematica in 1991 after serving as a researcher at Princeton University's Office of Population Research and as a visiting fellow at RAND.
"Lorenzo is a highly gifted evaluator who has made numerous contributions to strengthen research methods and their practical application to diverse health services questions," said Trenholm.