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JoAnna K Leyenaar, MD, MPH, PhD

Title(s)
Professor of Pediatrics
Professor of The Dartmouth Institute

Additional Titles/Positions/Affiliations
Vice Chair of Research, Department of Pediatrics

Department(s)
Pediatrics
The Dartmouth Institute

Websites
https://sites.dartmouth.edu/leyenaarlab/

Contact Information


Professional Interests

Healthcare quality for hospitalized children
Urban-rural disparities in pediatric healthcare quality
Healthcare delivery for pediatric mental health conditions
Hospital-to-home transitional care

Grant Information

Comparative Effectiveness of Direct Admission & Admission through Emergency Departments for Children (PCORI)

Urban-Rural Disparities in Children with Chronic Illness (NIH - NIMHD)

Biography

A pediatrician and health services researcher, Dr. JoAnna Leyenaar's work is focused on improving the quality of healthcare provided to children, particularly those who are vulnerable and underserved. In her clinical role, Dr. Leyenaar works as a pediatric hospitalist and Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Pediatrics at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Dr. Leyenaar's main areas of research interest include: care coordination for children with chronic illnesses, urban-rural disparities in healthcare quality, hospital-to-home transitions, integration of mental and behavioral healthcare in pediatrics, and care of opioid-exposed infants. She is currently receiving funding from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of direct admission to hospital as an alternative to admission through emergency departments. In addition, she is funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to examine urban-rural disparities in healthcare access and outcomes for children with medical complexity. Dr. Leyenaar received her MD from McMaster University (Canada), her MPH from Harvard University, and her PhD from Tufts University.


Selected Publications

 

Qualitative Approaches in Health Services Research: A Methodological Primer.
Sierpe A, Leyenaar JK, Saunders CH
Hosp Pediatr. 2025 Apr 23; pii: e2024007978. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2024-007978. Epub 2025 Apr 23.
PMID: 40262761

Perceived Quality of Care and Pediatricians' Moral Distress Caring for Children with Mental Health Conditions.
Leyenaar JK, Green CM, Turner A, Leslie LK
Acad Pediatr. 2025 Apr 7;:102825. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2025.102825. Epub 2025 Apr 7.
PMID: 40204185

Incidence of Medical Complexity in Military-Connected Children.
Leyenaar JK, Lanning J, Romano CJ, Goodman DC, Schaefer AP, Taylor JA, Bukowinski AT, Gumbs GR, Perkins EM, Lutgendorf MA, O'Malley AJ, S Conlin AM, Hall C
Pediatrics. 2025 Apr 8; pii: e2024069653. doi: 10.1542/peds.2024-069653. Epub 2025 Apr 8.
PMID: 40194786

Identifying Pregnant Women With Disabilities and Maternal and Newborn Outcomes.
Dev A, Horner-Johnson W, Schaefer A, Ganduglia-Cazaban C, Stukel TA, Goodman DC, Leyenaar JK
JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Mar 3;8(3):e252159. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.2159. Epub 2025 Mar 3.
PMID: 40146109

Neonatal Intensive Care Outcomes in the Military Health System: Comparison of Military and Civilian Hospital Births.
Mu TS, Romano CJ, Hall C, Gumbs GR, Conlin AMS, Vereen RJ, Leyenaar JK, Goodman DC
Mil Med. 2025 Apr 23;190(5-6):e1159-e1167. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usaf043.
PMID: 39994970

Rural-Urban Differences in Patient-Sharing by Clinicians Caring for Children with Medical Complexity: Network Analysis of the Pediatric Workforce in Three States.
Moen EL, Freyleue SD, Arakelyan M, Schaefer AP, O'Malley AJ, Goodman DC, Leyenaar JK
J Pediatr. 2025 May;280:114506. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2025.114506. Epub 2025 Feb 6.
PMID: 39922269

Validation of the PHASE Measure for Admissions to an ICU and After Interfacility Transfer.
Shine A, Freyleue SD, Ziniel SI, Leyenaar JK, Tao E, McDaniel CE
Hosp Pediatr. 2024 Dec 1;14(12):e526-e529. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2024-008032.
PMID: 39512068

A National Analysis of General Pediatric Inpatient Unit Closures and Openings, 2011-2018.
San Soucie CM, Beaulieu ND, Buxbaum JD, Cutler DM, Leyenaar JK, McBride SC, Zhao O, Chien AT
Hosp Pediatr. 2024 Nov 1;14(11):899-908. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2024-007754.
PMID: 39354895

Rural-Urban Disparities in Hospital Services and Outcomes for Children With Medical Complexity.
Leyenaar JK, Freyleue SD, Arakelyan M, Schaefer AP, Moen EL, Austin AM, Goodman DC, O'Malley AJ
JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Sep 3;7(9):e2435187. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.35187. Epub 2024 Sep 3.
PMID: 39316395

Effectiveness of Direct Admission Compared to Admission Through the Emergency Department: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster-Randomized Trial.
Leyenaar JK, Acquilano SC, Freyleue SD, Schaefer AP, McDaniel CE, Bode RS, Erdem G, Lauden S, Schmerge C, Choi SS, Felman K, Fleischer A, Houtrow AJ, Bruce ML, O'Malley AJ
Pediatrics. 2024 Oct 1;154(4) pii: e2024065776. doi: 10.1542/peds.2024-065776.
PMID: 39301600

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