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
McTigue KM, Wellman R, Nauman E, Anau J, Coley RY, Odor A, Tice J, Coleman KJ, Courcoulas A, Pardee RE, Toh S, Janning CD, Williams N, Cook A, Sturtevant JL, Horgan C, Arterburn D, PCORnet Bariatric Study Collaborative Comparing the 5-Year Diabetes Outcomes of Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass: The National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORNet) Bariatric Study 2020 May;155(5):e200087. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2020.0087. Epub 2020-05-20. PubMed
Courcoulas A, Coley RY, Clark JM, McBride CL, Cirelli E, McTigue K, Arterburn D, Coleman KJ, Wellman R, Anau J, Toh S, Janning CD, Cook AJ, Williams N, Sturtevant JL, Horgan C, Tavakkoli A, PCORnet Bariatric Study Collaborative Interventions and Operations 5 Years After Bariatric Surgery in a Cohort From the US National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network Bariatric Study 2020 Mar;155(3):194-204. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2019.5470. PubMed
Sherman KJ, Wellman RD, Hawkes RJ, Phelan EA, Lee T, Turner JA T'ai Chi for Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults: A Feasibility Trial 2020 Mar;26(3):176-189. doi: 10.1089/acm.2019.0438. Epub 2020-02-03. PubMed
McCurry SM, Von Korff M, Morin CM, Cunningham A, Pike KC, Thakral M, Wellman R, Yeung K, Zhu W, Vitiello MV Telephone interventions for co-morbid insomnia and osteoarthritis pain: The OsteoArthritis and Therapy for Sleep (OATS) randomized trial design 2019 Dec;87:105851. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2019.105851. Epub 2019-10-13. PubMed
Cook AJ, Wellman RD, Marsh T, Shoaibi A, Tiwari R, Nguyen M, Boudreau D, Weintraub ES, Jackson L, Nelson JC Applying sequential surveillance methods that use regression adjustment or weighting to control confounding in a multi-site, rare event, distributed setting: Part 2 In-Depth Example of a re-analysis of the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella combination vacci 2019 Sep;113:114-122. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2019.04.019. Epub 2019-05-02. 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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