The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research (DOR), in collaboration with co-investigators from the University of California, Berkeley's Center for Targeted Machine Learning and Causal Inference (CTML), has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The project will be led by Romain Neugebauer, PhD, a DOR research scientist and biostatistician who specializes in developing causal and statistical methodologies for observational studies and randomized experiments. He is joined by co-investigators Julie Schmittdiel, PhD, alongside CTML faculty member Mark van der Laan, PhD, and PhD student Toru Shirakawa, MD.
This funded research will focus on advancing methodology to improve how investigators leverage electronic medical records to evaluate and compare the clinical effectiveness of sequential treatment decisions. Ultimately, the study aims to refine tools for managing complex chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, while advancing precision health and supporting evidence-based clinical decision-making.