Jennifer McClure, PhD
“We create programs and tools to empower people and help them lead healthier lives. By doing so, we can reduce the need for health care and the growing burden of health care costs for all.”
Jennifer McClure, PhD
Director, Investigative Science; Senior Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Professor, Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
Jennifer.B.Mcclure@kp.org
206-287-2737
Biography
Jennifer McClure, PhD, is director of Investigative Science at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI). She is also a senior investigator and clinical psychologist whose research focuses on developing new interventions to reduce people’s risk of chronic disease and cancer or help them better manage existing chronic disease through:
- Smoking cessation
- Dietary improvement
- Increased physical activity
- Treatment adherence
- Stress management
- Better oral health
- Informed decision-making
Much of Dr. McClure’s research emphasizes creating highly individualized behavioral treatments that can be disseminated on a population level, through health care systems and tobacco quitlines or directly to individuals via digital health tools, such as mobile health (mHealth) apps. Her goal is to design programs that are effective, convenient, engaging, and cost-effective, understanding that to make the leap from research to real world, interventions should meet these criteria.
Dr. McClure is best known for her research creating novel treatments for nicotine dependence, particularly interventions targeted to smokers who are ambivalent about quitting. These individuals may want to quit smoking some day, but are not yet ready to give up tobacco. Most smokers fall into this category, but few interventions are targeted to this important group. Her research has demonstrated the effectiveness of using proactive counseling and online interventions to motivate and support smoking cessation among ambivalent smokers. Her work has also shed light on the potential risks and benefits of using biological indicators of disease or disease risk to motivate quitting. Now she is developing two new mHealth apps to help ambivalent smokers kick the habit: one designed for anyone who smokes and one designed specifically for smokers living with HIV.
Dr. McClure’s collaborative research covers a range of topics from reducing sedentary behavior to comparing the effectiveness of various strategies for assessing and diagnosing high blood pressure.
In recognition of her scientific contributions, Dr. McClure was named a fellow in the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) in 2013 and a fellow in the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco in 2018. In 2019 she joined the faculty of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J Tyson School of Medicine as a professor in Health Systems Science. Dr. McClure is also an affiliate professor of health services at the University of Washington School of Public Health and an affiliate investigator in the Division of Public Health Sciences at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She currently serves as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.
RESEARCH INTERESTS AND EXPERIENCE
-
Behavior Change & Behavioral Medicine
Tobacco cessation; pharmocogenomics of nicotine addiction; treatment adherence; population-based behavior interventions; health risk communications; oral health promotion; dietary change; physical activity promotion; informed decision-making; psychoneuroimmunology; HIV
-
Health Informatics & Digital Health
Development of eHealth and mHealth intervention tools
-
Mental Health
Depression treatment and development of behavior change interventions for people with serious mental illness
-
Cancer
Prevention
-
Chronic Illness Management
HIV
-
Addictions
Prevention and treatment
Recent publications
Fagerlin A, Dillard AJ, Smith DM, Zikmund-Fisher BJ, Pitsch R, McClure JB, Greene S, Alford SH, Nair V, Hayes DF, Wiese C, Ubel PA. Women's interest in taking tamoxifen and raloxifene for breast cancer prevention: response to a tailored decision aid. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2011 Jun;127(3):681-8. Epub 2011 Mar 26. PubMed
Wetter DW, McClure JB, Cofta-Woerpel L, Costello TJ, Reitzel LR, Businelle MS, Cinciripini PM. A randomized clinical trial of a palmtop computer-delivered treatment for smoking relapse prevention among women. Psychol Addict Behav. 2011 Jun;25(2):365-71. PubMed
Zbikowski SM, Jack LM, McClure JB, Deprey M, Javitz HS, McAfee TA, Catz SL, Richards J, Bush T, Swan GE. Utilization of services in a randomized trial testing phone- and web-based interventions for smoking cessation. Nicotine Tob Res. 2011 May;13(5):319-27. Epub 2011 Jan 31. PubMed
Catz SL, Jack LM, McClure JB, Javitz HS, Deprey M, Zbikowski SM, McAfee T, Richards J, Swan GE. Adherence to varenicline in the COMPASS smoking cessation intervention trial. Nicotine Tob Res. 2011 May;13(5):361-8. Epub 2011 Feb 24. PubMed
McClure JB, Catz SL, Ludman EJ, Richards J, Riggs K, Grothaus L. Feasibility and acceptability of a multiple risk factor intervention: The Step Up randomized pilot trial. BMC Public Health. 2011 Mar 17;11:167. PubMed
Javitz HS, Zbikowski SM, Deprey M, McAfee TA, McClure JB, Richards J, Catz SL, Jack JM, Swan GE. Cost-effectiveness of varenicline and three different behavioral treatment formats for smoking cessation. Transl Behav Med. 2011 Mar 1;1(1):182-90. doi: 10.1007/s13142-010-0009-8. PubMed
Couper M, Alexander GL, Maddy N, Zhang N, Little R, Nowak M, McClure JB, Calvi J, Rolnick S, Stopponi M, Johnson C. Engagement and retention: measuring breadth and depth of participant use of an online intervention. J Med Internet Res. 2010 Nov 18;12(4):e52.
Wessel J, McDonald SM, Hinds DA, Stokowski RP, Javitz HS, Kennermer M, Krasnow R, Dirks W, Hardin J, Pitts SJ, Michel M, Jack L, Ballinger DG, McClure JB, Swan GE, Bergen AW. Resequencing of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genes and association of common and rate variants with the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence Neuropsychopharmacology. 2010 Nov;35(12):2392-402. Epub 2010 Aug 25.
Ubel PA, Smith DM, Zikmund-Fisher BJ, Derry HA, McClure J, Stark A, Wiese C, Greene S, Jankovic A, Fagerlin A. Testing whether decision aids introduce cognitive biases: results of a randomized trial. Patient Educ Couns. 2010 Aug;80(2):158-63. Epub 2009 Dec 9. PubMed
McClure JB, Swan GE, Catz SL, Jack L, Javitz H, McAfee T, Deprey M, Richards J, Zbikowski SM. Smoking outcome by psychiatric history after behavioral and varenicline treatment. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2010;38(4):394-402. Epub 2010 Apr 2. PubMed
Research
Digital tool could help people change smoking habits
A mobile application designed to engage smokers who are ambivalent about quitting shows promising results.
Healthy findings blog
For Women's History Month: Q&A with scientific leaders
KPWHRI’s executive director and scientific division leaders share their career paths, advice.New findings
There’s no place like home … to track blood pressure
Research led by KPWHRI’s Beverly Green, MD, MPH, finds that patients prefer at-home monitoring of blood pressure.
Behavioral Health
Surviving an FFP: COVID-19
Dr. Jennifer McClure shares advice and resources for staying physically and emotionally well during the COVID-19 crisis, and beyond.
research
Oral Health 4 Life: 10 years of research to improve smokers’ health and dental care
As Dr. Jennifer McClure completes the last of three innovative studies, she reflects on how the work began, the difference it may make, and what happens next.
healthy findings blog
Can being accepting and mindful help you stop smoking?
Tobacco remains a public health priority. Jennifer McClure, PhD, discusses her findings comparing ’acceptance and commitment therapy’ to standard care.
Land Acknowledgment
Our Seattle offices sit on the occupied land of the Duwamish and by the shared waters of the Coast Salish people, who have been here thousands of years and remain. Learn about practicing land acknowledgment.