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
Justice M, Piccorelli A, Avins AL, Cook AJ, Eng CM, Nielsen A, Pressman A, Stone KL, Teets RY, Wellman R, DeBar LL Baseline sample characteristics for the BackInAction pragmatic trial of acupuncture for chronic low back pain in older adults 2025 Aug;155:107981. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2025.107981. Epub 2025-06-06. PubMed
DeBar LL, Mayhew M, Wellman RD, Balderson BH, Dickerson JF, Elder CR, Justice M, Keefe FJ, McMullen CK, Owen-Smith AA, Rini C, Von Korff M, Waring S, Yarava A, Shen Z, Thompson RE, Clark AE, Casper TC, Cook AJ Telehealth and Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Based Treatments for High-Impact Chronic Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial 2025 Jul 23 doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.11178. Epub 2025-07-23. PubMed
Mahmud A, Wong ES, Lewis CC, Ornelas IJ, Wellman R, Pardee R, Mun S, Piccorelli A, Westbrook EO, Haan HD, Brown MC Differences in Healthcare Utilization Across 2 Social Health Support Modalities: Results From a Randomized Pilot Evaluation 2025 Jun;4(3):100323. doi: 10.1016/j.focus.2025.100323. Epub 2025-02-15. PubMed
Mahmud A, Brown MC, Wong ES, Ornelas IJ, Wellman R, Pardee R, Mun S, Singer A, Westbrook E, Barnes K, Haan HD, Lewis CC Comparison of clinic-based assistance versus a centralized call center on patient-reported social needs: findings from a randomized pilot social health integration program 2025 Mar 28;25(1):1171. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22334-x. Epub 2025-03-28. PubMed
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 2025 Feb;4(1):100283. doi: 10.1016/j.focus.2024.100283. Epub 2024-10-09. 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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