Training the Next Generation of Leaders in Clinical Preventive Services
Profiles from the AHRQ Research Centers for Excellence
After obtaining his PhD in Health Services Research from the University of Washington in 2012, David Liss considered a number of job opportunities in both academic and non-academic settings. Liss ultimately decided to pursue a postdoctoral Research Associate position at The Center for Advancing Equity in Clinical Preventive Services at Northwestern University because he felt it was "the most interesting opportunity in the short term and also had the most potential to lead to interesting opportunities down the road."
Since starting at the center, Liss has been involved in a number of projects, but he has primarily worked on studies to improve rates of appropriate colorectal cancer screening at a local community health center. These studies evaluate the effects of comprehensive outreach to patients who are due to complete fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), a low-cost, non-invasive colorectal cancer screening test.
This work has allowed Liss to put his training into practice and has given him experience conducting health services research in community health center settings. The community health center patient population is primarily racial and ethnic minorities, the poor, and the uninsured—very different from the relatively advantaged, universally insured population he previously studied during his graduate work in Washington State. Liss has been very impressed with the community health center's commitment to providing new forms of high-value primary care and preventive care. This is important to Liss, since it had been his goal to find a position where he could make "important contributions to improve the quality of preventive care delivery and primary care delivery for vulnerable and underserved populations."
Liss credits his position at the center with helping to advance his academic career. Although it was expected that Liss would eventually move into a faculty position at Northwestern, he is already ahead of schedule for this goal. Liss was promoted to Research Assistant Professor on September 1, 2013, after publishing his dissertation work as well as his work at the center (see below). "My opportunities for growth are already starting to be realized."
Below are three papers Liss has published as a result of his work with The Center for Advancing Equity in Clinical Preventive Services. In addition, he has a number of articles that are currently in progress.
- Liss DT, Petit-Homme A, Feinglass J, Buchanan DR, Baker DW. (2013). Adherence to repeat fecal occult blood testing in an urban community health center network. J Community Health 38(5):829-833.
- Liss DT, Baker DW. (2013). Accurately estimating cervical cancer screening overuse among older women. JAMA Intern Med 173(13):1266.
- Liss DT, Baker DW. (2014). Understanding Current Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Screening in the United States: The Contribution of Socioeconomic Status and Access to Care. AJ Prev Med 46(3):228-236.
For more information about The Center for Advancing Equity in Clinical Preventive Services and its training program please visit its Web site: http://prevention-for-all.org.
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