Robert Wellman, MS
“Being part of Kaiser Permanente research teams gives me a chance to develop cutting-edge biostatistical methods while contributing to health care research with a national impact.”
Robert Wellman, MS
Principal Collaborative Biostatistician, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Robert.D.Wellman@kp.org
206-287-2557
Biography
A graduate of the University of Washington (UW) biostatistics program, Robert Wellman, MS, joined the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) Biostatistics Unit in 2009. His work spans a diverse collection of topics including mental health, pharmacoepidemiology, postmarketing drug safety surveillance, obesity, diagnostic test accuracy, back pain, and breast cancer. Prior to this, he spent 5 years in the Biostatistics Core at the UW Center for AIDS Research.
Research interests and experience
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Biostatistics
Causal inference; longitudinal data; diagnostic and screening test accuracy; clinical trials; survival analysis: rare disease outcomes; nonparametrics; missing data; electronic data; distributed data; statistical computing
Vaccines & Infectious Diseases
Biostatistics; HIV/AIDS; vaccine safety
Complementary & Integrative Health
Biostatistics; clinical trials; back pain
Obesity
Biostatistics; bariatric surgery
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Cancer
Biostatistics; breast cancer; effects of chemotherapy; accuracy of automated data; screening test accuracy; advanced imaging
Medication Use & Patient Safety
Biostatistics; pharmacoepidemiology; postmarketing drug safety surveillance; big data; electronic health record and claims data
Mental Health
Biostatistics; suicide risk prediction, machine learning
Recent publications
Brown MC, Cushing-Haugen K, Wellman R, Dorsey CN, Norris CM, Adams JL, Steiner JF, Shah AR, Lewis CC. Intersectional analysis of social risk and need among a large representative sample of adults from an integrated health system in the U.S. AJPM Focus. 2024 Oct 9;4(1):100283. doi: 10.1016/j.focus.2024.100283. eCollection 2025. PubMed
Wolock CJ, Williamson BD, Shortreed SM, Simon GE, Coleman KJ, Yeargans R, Ahmedani BK, Daida Y, Lynch FL, Rossom RC, Ziebell RA, Cruz M, Wellman RD, Coley RY. Importance of variables from different time frames for predicting self-harm using health system data. J Biomed Inform. 2024;160:104750. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2024.104750. Epub 2024 Nov 16. PubMed
McTigue K, Courcoulas A, Wellman R, Tavakkoli A, Eavey J, Klawson E, Anau J, Garcia R, Stilwell D, Ahmed B, Fischer GS, Maier J, Paul K, Handley M, Saurabh S, Daigle C, Elwyn G, Arterburn D. Exploring patient perspectives on shared decision making about bariatric surgery in two healthcare systems. Obes Sci Pract. 2024 Nov 26;10(6):e779. doi: 10.1002/osp4.779. eCollection 2024 Dec. PubMed
Wolock CJ, Williamson BD, Shortreed SM, Simon GE, Coleman KJ, Yeargans R, Ahmedani BK, Daida Y, Lynch FL, Rossom RC, Ziebell RA, Cruz M, Wellman RD, Coley RY. Importance of variables from different time frames for predicting self-harm using health system data. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2024:2024.04.29.24306260. doi: 10.1101/2024.04.29.24306260. PubMed
Wartko PD, Krakauer C, Turner JA, Cook AJ, Boudreau DM, Sullivan MD. STRategies to Improve Pain and Enjoy life (STRIPE): results of a pragmatic randomized trial of pain coping skills training and opioid medication taper guidance for patients on long-term opioid therapy. LID - 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002982 [doi] Pain. 2023 Aug 25. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002982 [Epub ahead of print] PubMed
New findings
Simpler models to identify suicide risk perform similarly to more complex ones
Models that are easier to explain, use could have better uptake in health care settings.
Research
Phone therapy for insomnia shown to improve sleep
A study among KP members with sleep problems and osteoarthritis shows promise for overcoming obstacles to treatment.
healthy findings blog
Best weight-loss surgery for diabetes and severe obesity?
Watch video on latest results from PCORnet Bariatric Study. (Spoiler alert: Bypass, not sleeve.)
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