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
Cook AJ, Wellman RD, Marsh T, Tiwari RC, Nguyen MD, Russek-Cohen E, Peng Y, Nelson JC Estimating Risk Differences Using Large Healthcare Data Networks for Medical Product Post-Market Safety Outcomes in a Distributed Data Setting and Allowing for Active Post-Market Surveillance 2026 Mar;45(6-7):e70440. doi: 10.1002/sim.70440. PubMed
Simon GE, Wellman R, Shortreed SM, Johnson E, Sterling SA, Coleman KJ, Ahmedani BK, Yaseen ZS, Mosholder AD Predicting and differentiating opioid and non-opioid drug poisonings using health records data 2026 Mar;182:209861 doi:10.1016/j.josat.2025.209861. doi: 10.1016/j.josat.2025.209861. Epub 2025-12-22. PubMed
Herman PM, Mann S, DeBar LL, Avins AL, Justice M, Nielsen A, Pressman A, Stone KL, Wellman R, Cook AJ Cost-Effectiveness of Acupuncture Needling for Older Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain 2026 Feb;51(3):E65-E75. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000005549. Epub 2025-10-29. PubMed
Arterburn DE, Wellman R, Courcoulas A, Anau J, Hsu C, Tavakkoli A, Fischer GS, Ahmed B, Eavey J, Luce C, Williams N, Stilwell D, Paul K, Daigle CR, Elwyn G, McTigue KM Enhancing Shared Decision-Making in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: A Multi-System Implementation and Evaluation 2025 Dec;11(6):e70091. doi: 10.1002/osp4.70091. Epub 2025-12-05. PubMed
DeBar LL, Wellman RD, Justice M, Avins AL, Beyrouty M, Eng CM, Herman PM, Nielsen A, Pressman A, Stone KL, Teets RY, Cook AJ Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial 2025 Sep 2;8(9):e2531348. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.31348. Epub 2025-09-02. PubMed
Research
Acupuncture safe and effective for chronic low back pain in older adults
NIH-funded study finds that acupuncture improves pain, physical functioning.
Research
Remote programs effective for chronic pain, study finds
Telehealth and online cognitive behavioral therapy could expand treatment options for chronic pain in rural areas.
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.
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