Predicting poor response to therapy and developing interventions to improve outcomes

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY Dr. Alexis Ogdie is a rheumatologist and epidemiologist who directs the Penn Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) and Spondyloarthritis Program at the University of Pennsylvania. She has established a robust, well-funded, patient-oriented research program in which she mentors young investigators across a broad spectrum, including junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, rheumatology fellows, residents, medical students, and undergraduates. The mission of her research program is to improve outcomes in PsA by accelerating diagnosis, focusing on meaningful, patient-centered outcomes, and developing and advancing methods for personalized medicine. Additionally, one of her primary long-term goals is to train the next generation of clinical investigators in rheumatology and to support the pipeline of new rheumatology investigators nationwide, aiming to improve outcomes for patients living with rheumatic diseases. The proposed research in this K24 seeks to address potentially modifiable risk factors for poor response to therapy—specifically obesity, depression, and anxiety—among patients with psoriatic arthritis. The proposal will leverage an NIH-funded longitudinal cohort study to quantify the impact and interrelationships of these factors on treatment response. The cost of these modifiable risk factors and poor treatment response will be examined using administrative claims data. Finally, qualitative methods, informed by an implementation science framework, will be employed to explore the barriers and facilitators to addressing these factors in rheumatology clinical practice, incorporating the perspectives of patients and clinicians. This will inform the development of an intervention aimed at mitigating these barriers. In this application, Dr. Ogdie proposes to mentor early-career investigators in patient-oriented research methods and expand her own research program by incorporating cost-effectiveness and implementation science to enhance its impact, implementation, and dissemination. Penn offers an exceptional environment for the proposed research and training, with abundant resources and co-mentors to support the trainees and the work. She will recruit mentees from Penn Rheumatology, pediatric rheumatology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the Epidemiology training programs, and several organizations with which she currently mentors. This K24 is essential in providing protected time—free from administrative and clinical responsibilities— allowing her to mentor trainees, expand her current work, and obtain further training to support her ongoing development as a mentor, investigator, and leader.