Staff Profile

Karen Donelan, PhD

Stuart H Altman Professor at The Heller School for Social Policy and Mgmt, Brandeis University

Dr. Donelan is a prominent survey and team scientist who has conducted numerous national and international surveys of the experiences of patients and health professionals in health care systems, nationally and locally. At Mass General, she is the convener of MGH Health Policy Rounds, she leads the Survey Research and Implementation Unit for the Division of Clinical Research and is a member of the MGH/MGPO Diversity Committee.

Recognized for her skill in designing surveys to measure the experiences of diverse professional and patient/consumer populations, Dr. Donelan’s current and recent national projects include the health workforce changes needed to improve care for frail older adults, assessments of care management programs, evaluation of innovations in payment for dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, understanding insurance coverage for cancer survivors, and a test of a virtual clinic to improve evidence-based care for people with Down Syndrome. She is interested in evaluating new forms of human and technology support for diverse populations trying to access and navigate health systems.

Dr. Donelan has led primary research efforts at Mass. General Hospital to measure diversity culture from patient and workforce perspectives, assuring more robust inclusion of patients with disability, limited English proficiency and racial, ethnic and gender minorities. She has been a mentor to several clinician researchers on early stage career projects. She was a member of a National Academy of Medicine Committee to evaluate progress on the 2010 Future of Nursing report.

Dr. Donelan joined the MIHPC faculty in 2003, following more than a decade at the Harvard School of Public Health as founding Managing Director of the Harvard Opinion Research Program, and 3 years as Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of a venture-financed company providing assistance to patients and families confronting complex and critical illnesses. She has received considerable external support for her survey research, including the Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the Commonwealth Fund, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and others. She has published extensively in major medical, nursing, and health policy journals, and is a peer reviewer for multiple journals. She is a member of Academy Health and the American Association of Public Opinion Research.

Visit web site

Selected Publications

104 entries « 1 of 11 »

Collins, Reagan A; Herman, Tianna; Snyder, Rebecca A; Haines, Krista L; Stey, Anne; Arora, Tania K; Geevarghese, Sunil K; Phillips, Joseph D; Vicente, Diego; Griggs, Cornelia L; McElroy, Imani E; Wall, Anji E; Hughes, Tasha M; Sen, Srijan; Valinejad, Jaber; Alban, Andres; Swan, J Shannon; Mercaldo, Nathaniel; Jalali, Mohammad S; Chhatwal, Jagpreet; Gazelle, G Scott; Rangel, Erika; Yang, Chi-Fu Jeffrey; Donelan, Karen; Gold, Jessica A; West, Colin P; Cunningham, Carrie

Unspoken Truths: Mental Health Among Academic Surgeons Journal Article

In: Ann Surg, vol. 279, iss. 3, pp. 429-436, 2024, ISSN: 1528-1140.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

Jimenez, Rachel B.; Johnson, Andrew E.; Horick, Nora K.; Hlubocky, Fay J.; Lei, Yvonne; Matsen, Cindy B.; Mayer, Erica L.; Collyar, Deborah E.; LeBlanc, Thomas W.; Donelan, Karen; Mello, Michelle M.; Peppercorn, Jeffrey M.

Do you mind if I record?: Perceptions and practice regarding patient requests to record clinic visits in oncology. Journal Article

In: Cancer, 2021, ISSN: 1097-0142, ().

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

Auerbach, David I.; Levy, Douglas E.; Maramaldi, Peter; Dittus, Robert S.; Spetz, Joanne; Buerhaus, Peter I.; Donelan, Karen

Optimal Staffing Models To Care For Frail Older Adults In Primary Care And Geriatrics Practices In The US. Journal Article

In: Health affairs (Project Hope), vol. 40, no. 9, pp. 1368–1376, 2021, ISSN: 1544-5208, ().

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

Barreto, Esteban A.; Guzikowski, Sophia; Michael, Carie; Carter, Jocelyn; Betancourt, Joseph R.; Tull, Andrea; Tan-McGrory, Aswita; Donelan, Karen

The role of race, ethnicity, and language in care transitions. Journal Article

In: The American journal of managed care, vol. 27, no. 7, pp. e221–e225, 2021, ISSN: 1936-2692, ().

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

Palamara, Kerri; Chu, Jacqueline T; Chang, Yuchiao; Yu, Liyang; Cosco, Dominique; Higgins, Stacy; Tulsky, Asher; Mourad, Ronda; Singh, Simran; Steinhauser, Karen; Donelan, Karen

Who Benefits Most? A Multisite Study of Coaching and Resident Well-being. Journal Article

In: Journal of general internal medicine, 2021, ISSN: 1525-1497, ().

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

Carter, Jocelyn; Hassan, Susan; Walton, Anne; Yu, Liyang; Donelan, Karen; Thorndike, Anne N

Ëffect of Community Health Workers on 30-Day Hospital Readmissions in an Accountable Care Organization Population: A Randomized Clinical Trial." Journal Article

In: JAMA network open, vol. 4, pp. e2110936, 2021, ISSN: 2574-3805, ().

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

Larsen, Dana; Chu, Jacqueline T; Yu, Liyang; Chang, Yuchiao; Donelan, Karen; Palamara, Kerri

Correlating Burnout and Well-being in a Multisite Study of Internal Medicine Residents and Faculty. Journal Article

In: Journal of general internal medicine, vol. 36, no. 5, pp. 1422-1426, 2021, ISSN: 1525-1497, ().

Links | BibTeX

Santoro, Stephanie L; Donelan, Karen; Haugen, Kelsey; Oreskovic, Nicolas M; Torres, Amy; Skotko, Brian G

Transition to virtual clinic: Experience in a multidisciplinary clinic for Down syndrome. Journal Article

In: American journal of medical genetics. Part C, Seminars in medical genetics, vol. 187, pp. 70–82, 2021, ISSN: 1552-4876, ().

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

Iezzoni, Lisa I; Rao, Sowmya R; Ressalam, Julie; Bolcic-Jankovic, Dragana; Agaronnik, Nicole D; Donelan, Karen; Lagu, Tara; Campbell, Eric G

Physicians' Perceptions Of People With Disability And Their Health Care. Journal Article

In: Health affairs (Project Hope), vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 297–306, 2021, ISSN: 1544-5208, ().

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

Park, Elyse R; Sylvia, Louisa G; Streck, Joanna M; Luberto, Christina M; Stanton, Amelia M; Perez, Giselle K; Baim, Margaret; Bliss, Cayley C; Convery, Mary Susan; Crute, Sydney; Denninger, John W; Donelan, Karen; Dossett, Michelle L; Fava, Maurizio; Fredriksson, Stacie; Fricchione, Gregory; George, Nevita; Hall, Daniel L; Hart, Betsy Remington; Herman, John; Hirschberg, April; Holt, Daphne; Looby, Sara E; Malloy, Laura; Meek, Jocelyn; Mehta, Darshan H; Millstein, Rachel A; Mizrach, Helen; Rosa, Katherine; Slawsby, Ellen; Stupinski, A Clare; Traeger, Lara; Vanderkruik, Rachel; Vogeli, Christine; Wilhelm, Sabine

Launching a resiliency group program to assist frontline clinicians in meeting the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of a hospital-based systems trial. Journal Article

In: General hospital psychiatry, vol. 68, pp. 111-112, 2021, ISSN: 1873-7714, ().

Links | BibTeX

104 entries « 1 of 11 »