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Karen E. Schifferdecker, MPH, PhD

Title(s)
Associate Professor of The Dartmouth Institute
Associate Professor of Community and Family Medicine

Additional Titles/Positions/Affiliations
Faculty Adviser, Center for Program Design and Evaluation at Dartmouth

Department(s)
The Dartmouth Institute
Community and Family Medicine

Education
Luther College, BA 1989
U. Connecticut, MA 1993
U. Connecticut, PHD 2000
Dartmouth College, MPH 2011

Programs
The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice

Websites
https://tdi.dartmouth.edu/about/our-people/directory/karen-e-schifferdecker-phd

Contact Information

1 Medical Center Drive, WTRB-5
The Dartmouth Institute
Lebanon NH 03766

Email: Karen.E.Schifferdecker@Dartmouth.edu


Professional Interests

Qualitative and mixed methods research
Evaluation
Implementation science and quality improvement
Patient-reported outcome measures
Cancer screening
Arthritis outcomes

Grant Information

1R01AG084611-01
Schifferdecker/Fisher (MPIs)
9/30/2023-6/30/2028
Understanding and Addressing Disparities in Primary Care: A National Mixed Methods Study

P01AG019783
Barnato, PI; Schifferdecker/Fisher, Project MPIs
8/15/2023- 7/31/2028
Causes and Consequences of Healthcare Inequity in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias

PLACER 2020C3
Calderwood (PI), Role: Subaward PI
06/01/2022-05/31/2029
Colonoscopy Versus Stool-Based Testing for Older Adults with a History of Colon Polyps (COOP Trial)

#78479 RWJF
Fisher/Schifferdecker (Co-PIs)
05/01/2021-09/30/2023
Supporting Development and Implementation of a Second Wave of a National Survey of Physician Practices

Courses Taught

Family Medicine clerkship: Community Project: diversity, cultural competency and care of underserved populations
MPH Seminar: Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
MPH Hybrid Program: Survey Methods for Public Health Practice and Health Services Research
MPH Residential Program: Introduction to Qualitative Methods for Public Health and Healthcare Studies

Biography

Dr. Schifferdecker is an Associate Professor in The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice and Community and Family Medicine. As a medical anthropologist and public health researcher, she has led qualitative and mixed methods research over the past 30 years on a variety of topics in health care delivery and beyond, including cancer screening, patient-reported outcomes, and disparities in healthcare delivery with funding from many agencies, including NIH, PCORI, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Administration for Children and Families, and the Arthritis Foundation. Dr. Schifferdecker co-founded and directed the Center for Program Design and Evaluation at Dartmouth for 12 years, where she oversaw a team to provide mixed methods research and evaluation for over 120 projects. Dr. Schifferdecker's current research includes a national National Institutes of Aging-funded study focused on primary care access and quality for older adults, a national comparative effectiveness clinical trial funded by PCORI on improving colorectal cancer screening surveillance for older adults, and Arthritis Foundation-funded research on non-response in RA and pain in children with JIA.


Selected Publications

 

Primary care preparedness to care for patients with ADRD: A national survey study.
Januszewicz J, Fowler NR, Mackwood MB, Fisher E, Andrews AO, Schmidt RO, Akre EL, Schifferdecker KE
Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Mar;21(3):e70064. doi: 10.1002/alz.70064.
PMID: 40156282

Primary Care Practice Factors Associated With Telehealth Adoption in the United States: Cross-Sectional Survey Analysis.
Mackwood M, Fisher E, Schmidt RO, O'Malley AJ, Rodriguez HP, Shortell S, Akre ER, Berube A, Schifferdecker KE
J Med Internet Res. 2025 Mar 28;27:e70404. doi: 10.2196/70404. Epub 2025 Mar 28.
PMID: 40152920

Sexual Orientation- and Gender Identity-Affirming Activities Provided in Primary Care.
Akre EL, Yang CW, Bauer GR, Mackwood MB, O'Malley AJ, Fisher ES, Schifferdecker KE
JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Mar 3;8(3):e250392. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.0392. Epub 2025 Mar 3.
PMID: 40063021

Organizational characteristics associated with sustained participation in internal quality improvement: Findings from two waves of a national sample of physician practices in the United States.
Hurley VB, Brewster AL, DePuccio MJ, Hung DY, O'Malley AJ, Schifferdecker KE
Soc Sci Med. 2025 Mar;369:117826. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.117826. Epub 2025 Feb 8.
PMID: 39961151

Changes in US Primary Care Access and Capabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Mackwood M, Fisher E, Schmidt RO, Yang CW, O'Malley AJ, Rodriguez HP, Shortell S, Akre EL, Schifferdecker KE
JAMA Health Forum. 2025 Feb 7;6(2):e245237. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.5237. Epub 2025 Feb 7.
PMID: 39918830

Trends in Screening for Social Risk in US Physician Practices.
Brewster AL, Rodriguez HP, Murray GF, Lewis VA, Schifferdecker KE, Fisher ES
JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Jan 2;8(1):e2453117. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.53117. Epub 2025 Jan 2.
PMID: 39752156

Health-related quality of life profiles of adults with arthritis and/or fibromyalgia: a cross-sectional study.
Knight EM, Carluzzo KL, Reeve BB, Mueller KL, Singh JA, Lin L, Schifferdecker KE
Qual Life Res. 2025 Feb;34(2):523-534. doi: 10.1007/s11136-024-03831-9. Epub 2024 Nov 20.
PMID: 39565554

Safety Net Primary Care Capabilities After the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Schifferdecker KE, Yang CW, Mackwood MB, Rodriguez HP, Shortell SM, Akre ER, O'Malley AJ, Butler C, Berube AD, Andrews AO, Fisher ES
JAMA Health Forum. 2024 Aug 2;5(8):e242547. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.2547. Epub 2024 Aug 2.
PMID: 39150731

Assessing and Identifying Improvements for Lung Cancer Screening in a Rural Population: A Human-Centered Design and Systems Approach.
Golding SA, Hasson RM, Kinney LM, Kyung EJ, Bardach SH, Perry AN, Boardman MB, Halloran SR, Youkilis SL, Fay KA, Bird TL, Bridges CJ, Schifferdecker KE
Am J Med Qual. 2023 Sep-Oct 01;38(5):218-228. doi: 10.1097/JMQ.0000000000000136. Epub 2023 Aug 31.
PMID: 37656607

Multi-level Factors Influencing Decisions About Stopping Surveillance Colonoscopy in Older Adults: a Qualitative Study.
Schifferdecker KE, Ramesh NP, Walter LC, Calderwood AH
J Gen Intern Med. 2023 Sep;38(12):2761-2767. doi: 10.1007/s11606-023-08225-0. Epub 2023 May 24.
PMID: 37225959

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