KATHRYN A. PAEZ, RN, MSN, MBA

Pre-Doctoral Fellow
Health Disparities of Underserved Populations

Faculty Advisor:
Jerilyn Allen, RN, ScD, FAAN
Professor, Associate Dean for Research

Dissertation Focus:
The proposed dissertation study will contribute toward understanding of the role of clinician cultural competence as a strategy in reducing healthcare disparities for an African American population with hypertension.

Inequality in the healthcare received by racial/ethnic minorities has been widely documented. Cultural competence training of clinicians is a frequently cited strategy to reduce inequalities that emanate from the patient-clinician encounter. Few studies have documented the relationship between clinician cultural competence and improved healthcare outcomes or the mechanisms by which cultural competence may improve care.

The purpose of this study is to test the relationships between (1) cultural competence and predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors to cultural competence, (2) cultural competence and blood pressure control as a patient health outcome, and (3) proposed mediators (patient trust and satisfaction) between cultural competence and hypertension control. This study will be a substudy of an RCT using physician and patient education strategies to improve patient adherence.

Publications:

Research Papers

Paez K, and Allen J. A cost effectiveness study: nurse practitioner management of hypercholesterolemia following coronary revascularization. Accepted by The Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. February 2006.

Brach C, Paez K, and Fraser I. Cultural competence California style. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Working Paper No. 06, February 2006, http://www.gold.ahrq.gov.

Brach C, Fraser I, and Paez K. Crossing the language chasm. Health Affairs.24:2:424-434, 2005.

Mapel G, Shainline M, Paez K, and Gunter M. Hospital, pharmacy and outpatient costs for osteoarthritis and back pain, Journal of Rheumatology, 31:3:573-83, 2003.

Research Papers in Progress

Appling, S, Paez, K and Allen J. Ethnicity and vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women. Submitted to Journal of Women’s Health, February 2006.

Adeseum G, Arbelaez J, Paez K, and Cooper L. Patient preference for participatory decision-making: patient race, education and physician perceptions. To be submitted to Journal of Patient Education and Counseling, Spring 2006.

Other Publications

Paez K. and Gunter M. Planning Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services: a Guide for Managed Care Plans. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Rockville, MD. 2002.

Paez K. and Gunter M. Providing Oral Linguistic Services: A Guide for Managed Care Plans. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Rockville, MD. 2002.

Abstracts

Allen JK, Becker D, Kwiterovich P, Paez K, Szanton S, and Lindenstruth K. Soy improves lipoprotein particle number in postmenopausal women. Poster presentation. American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, November 2005.

Paez K, Appling S, and Allen J. Differences in vasomotor symptoms between postmenopausal African-American and white women. Poster presentation. The North American Menopause Society 16th Annual Meeting, September 2005.

Beaton S, Gunter M, Paez K, Chilton L and Doughtery D. Evaluation of an otitis media education intervention in an integrated delivery system. Poster presentation. International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research 10th Annual International Meeting, May 2005.

Presentations:

Appling S, Paez K, and Allen J. Differences in vasomotor symptoms between postmenopausal African-American and white women. poster presentation, The North American Menopause Society 16th Annual Meeting, September 2005.

Beaton S, Gunter M, Paez K, Chilton L and Doughtery D. Evaluation of an otitis media education intervention in an integrated delivery system. poster presentation, International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research 10th Annual International Meeting, May 2005.

Allen JK, Becker D, Kwiterovich P, Paez K, Szanton S, and Lindenstruth K. Soy improves lipoprotein particle number in postmenopausal women. American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2005, abstract submitted May 2005.

ISPOR. May 2005. Process Evaluation of the Implementation of Otitis Media Guidelines in an Integrated Delivery System. (Poster Presentation)

Robert Wood Johnson. November 2003. Albuquerque, NM. Presentation: Improving Cultural Competence. Target Audience: managed care organizations.

Institute for International Research. September 2003. Chicago, Ill. Presentation: Planning and Building a Cultural Competence Program: A Step-by-Step Approach. Target audience: managed care organizations.

American Association of Health Plans. April 2003. Atlanta, GA. Presentation: A Model for Assessing and Planning Culturally and Linguistically Competent Services. Target Audience: researchers, policy makers, payers and providers.

HMO Research Network. April 2002. Long Beach, CA. Presentation: Assessing the Language and Culture of a Population. Target audience: health services researchers.

Lovelace Healthcare Innovations. March 1999. Albuquerque, NM. Presentation: Navigating Population Health and Disease Management. Target Audience: quality improvement professionals, providers and administrators.

Lovelace Healthcare Innovations. July 1998. Albuquerque, NM. Presentation: CHF Telemanagement Outcomes. Target Audience: quality improvement professionals, providers and healthcare administrators.

Lovelace Healthcare Innovations. July 1998. Albuquerque, NM. Presentation: An Asthma Episode of Care Study: Lessons Learned. Target Audience: quality improvement professionals, providers and healthcare administrators.

Funding:

Interdisciplinary Research Training on Health Disparities Predoctoral Fellowship: Institutional NRSA (T32) September 2004 through (expected) August 2006

Program to Train Predoctoral Students in Clinical Research" and the grant number is 1 T32 HD052253-01