Member Details

Academic Member

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Robert S. White, MD, MS

Cornell University
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Health Equity/Research Interest

As an anesthesiologist-clinical data scientist with New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) my research activities focus mainly on the application of epidemiology, biostatistics/analytics, and data visualization to identify associations between patients and their perioperative outcomes. I obtained a Master of Science Degree in Clinical Research Methods while studying for my medical degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Upon acceptance into the WCM residency program, I was also chosen to serve as a Van Poznak Anesthesiology Research Scholar. This prestigious scholarship comprises a Fellowship and Faculty year with guaranteed dedicated research time and departmental support with the goal of obtaining external research funding. As a Van Poznak Research Scholar my research interests have expanded to include areas concerning healthcare disparities. In a series of articles, using a chronic pain clinic patient population, we showed that spoken language discordance between doctor and patient can serve as a powerful, yet potentially modifiable barrier to healthcare delivery. My current studies have concentrated on “big data” projects that utilize administrative datasets, electronic healthcare records, and anesthesia information management systems. This research has augmented my appreciation for using large datasets to explore healthcare disparities on a statewide and national level. I am presently co-supervising a multidisciplinary research team, as part of Cornell’s Center for Perioperative Outcomes (CPO), charged with examining the association between social determinants of health (insurance status, race/ethnicity, median income) and postoperative outcomes after common surgical procedures. Our findings have resulted in numerous publications, Best of Meeting Oral/Poster presentations, and internal institutional funding that includes the inaugural Dean’s Diversity Grant and the Healthcare Disparity Research Award. Future projects will continue to explore outcomes while testing the effectiveness of interventions/initiatives designed to reduce healthcare disparities. At Cornell I am responsible for housestaff lectures on healthcare disparities, research design and methodology, and the mathematics and statistical sections of the national anesthesiology board exams.

Expertise/Goals

My long term career objective is to perform a comprehensive examination of the intersectionality of the social and demographic determinants that underlie perioperative healthcare disparities; and to develop advanced statistical regression and applied predictive modeling strategies, and clinical informatics tools to better describe and mitigate such disparities. As a physician scientist with training in biostatistics and epidemiology, I co-supervise an interdisciplinary team of physicians, biostatisticians, and computer programmers that investigate social determinants of health and their impact on healthcare disparities and outcomes. I will be able to use this professional expertise and experience to benefit the Center through serving as a mentor for medical students and residents and through research efforts in collaboration with the Center.

Acceptance into the Cornell Center for Health Equity will further my academic progression by providing networking, potential collaboration and mentorship during the early stages of my career.

Degree

MD, MS

Title

Instructor in Anesthesiology

Organization

Cornell University

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College/School

[422]

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Department

Anesthesiology

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Area of Expertise (Methods)

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Area of Expertise (Content)

[354]

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Area of interest

Community Engagement and Dissemination, Investigator Development/Mentorship, Education

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Center Membership

[377]

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