Faculty

faculty photo
Paula K. Diehr
Professor
PhD  
University of California Los Angeles, 1970
Biostatistics
MS  
University of California Los Angeles, 1967
Biostatistics
BS  
Harvey Mudd College (California), 1963
Mathematics
Professor, Biostatistics (primary appt.)

Department of Health Services Program Affiliations:
  -  Health Care and Population Health Research Track, (MPH program)
  -  PhD program in Health Services

Paula Diehr has worked primarily in health services research, with a special emphasis on mental health services, different insurance and provider plans, health status, diagnostic rules for headache, cough and ankle trauma, health promotion evaluation, health services for older adults, people without health insurance, utilization and cost of health services, survey methods, community-based analyses, and years of healthy life or quality of life. She is generally interested in health outcomes. Dr. Diehr has published recently in the area of obesity, survival and years of healthy life for older adults.

Contact Information
1959 NE Pacific Street
Box:  357232
Seattle, WA 98195
(voice)  206-543-8004
pdiehr@u.washington.edu
Teaching Interests
Health services research, aging, longitudinal data, statistical methods for health services research and statistical consulting and data analysis
Research Interests
Managed care, obesity, survival and years of healthy life for older adults
External Funding (sampling of current and past involvement)
Health Promotion Research Center
Centers for Disease Control
PI:   Harris           Dates:    09/2004 - 09/2009
The Health Promotion Research Center improves health by conducting high quality prevention research that empasizes healthy aging and can be incorporated into community practice.

Center for Health Marketing and Communication
Centers for Disease Control
PI:   Harris           Dates:    09/2006 - 09/2009
The goal of this center is to contribute to the knowledge of useful communication strategies for health promotion.

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medical (CAM) Providers by Cancer Patients
National Institutes of Health
PI:   Lafferty           Dates:    09/2005 - 09/2008
This project will define the relationship between cancer patients, complementary and alternative medical practitioners, and conventional providers in the care for patients with cancer.

Home Automatic External Defibrillator for High-Risk Patients
National Institutes of Health
PI:   Rea           Dates:    06/2004 - 05/2008
The specific aims are to determine which AED training program achieves optimal skills retention and psychological adjustment among heart disease patients and their family members.

A Randomized Trial of CAM Comfort at the End of Life
National Institutes of Health
PI:   Lafferty           Dates:    09/2003 - 08/2007
The long-term goal of this project is to improve the quality of patient dying and death by the appropriate use of complementary medicine (CAM).

Physician Networks and Children with Chronic Conditions
AHRQ - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
PI:   Grembowski           Dates:    09/2002 - 03/2005
The purposes of this study are to examine whether out-of-network and cost-sharing of managed health plans are associated with the likelihood of children with asthma and diabetes seeing an in-network vs. out-of-network physician.

Health Related Quality of Life in Trauma: A Supplement to NSCOT
Johns Hopkins University
PI:   Diehr           Dates:    09/2003 - 09/2004
The major goal of this study is to examine the results of our ongoing National Study on the Costs and Outcomes of Trauma Care to examine two approaches for incorporating death in an analysis of trauma outcomes and will use these approaches for estimating the burden of injury in terms of years of healthy life lost.

Best Managed Care Practices for Children with Chronic Conditions
AHRQ - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
PI:   Connell           Dates:    07/1999 - 08/2004
The aim of this project is to identify and measure how the structural characteristics, incentives, and quality assurance efforts of managed care organizations affect 1) quality of care, 2) health and functional status, 3) satisfaction with care, 4) consumer knowledge and 5) self-efficacy among children with chronic conditions in western Washington State.

Penetrating the 'Black Box': Mechanisms for Enhancing Health Care Efficiency and Clinical Effectiveness
AHRQ - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
PI:   Conrad           Dates:    05/2002 - 02/2004
The major goal of the proposed conference is to evaluate the impact of financial incentives, clinical-managerial-organizational arrangements, and market environments on the quality and cost of health services.

Penetrating the 'Black Box': Mechanisms for Enhancing Health Care Efficiency and Clinical Effectiveness
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
PI:   Conrad           Dates:    11/2001 - 10/2003
The major goal of the proposed conference is to evaluate the impact of financial incentives, clinical-managerial-organizational arrangements, and market environments on the quality and cost of health services.

Penetrating the 'Black Box': Mechanisms for Enhancing Health Care Efficiency and Clinical Effectiveness
California HealthCare Foundation
PI:   Conrad           Dates:    04/2002 - 04/2003
The major goal of the proposed conference is to evaluate the impact of financial incentives, clinical-managerial-organizational arrangements, and market environments on the quality and cost of health services.


Selected Publications

Diehr P, Williamson J, Patrick DL, Bild DE, Burke GL. Patterns of self-rated health in older adults before and after sentinel health events. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 49(1): 36-44, Jan 2001

Diehr P, Patrick DL, Spertus J, Kiefe CI, McDonell M, Fihn SD. Transforming self-rated health and the SF-36 Scales to include death and improve interpretability. Medical Care. 39: 670-680, 2001

Grembowski DE, Diehr P, Novak LC, Roussel AE, Martin DP, Patrick DL, Williams B, Ulrich CM. Measuring the 'managedness' and covered benefits of health plans. Health Services Research. 35(3): 707-34, Aug 2000

Diehr P; Yanez D; Ash A; Hornbrook M; Lin DY. Methods for analyzing health care utilization and costs.. Annu Rev Public Health. 20: 125-44, 1999

Diehr P, Patrick DL, Bild DE, Burke GL, Williamson JD. Predicting future years of healthy life for older adults. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 51(4): 343-53, Apr 1998

Dissertation, Thesis and Capstone Committees (recent graduates)
2007
Member, dissertation committee for Colleen Daly
Does changing work organization through telecommuting affect individual health? A focus on stress and health behavior

2006
Chair, dissertation committee for Ann Derleth
Health related quality of life: A comparison of indices derived from health status questionnaires

2005
Member, dissertation committee for Bonnie Lind
The use of complementary and alternative medicine under insurance coverage in Washington State


Links