Lauren Crain, PhD, is a Senior Research Investigator at HealthPartners Institute and a member of the Research Methodology Group. She earned her PhD in Psychology (Social) at the University of Kansas her MS in Psychology (Social) at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She sees research as a tool for learning how to deliver health care in a way that results in better health for people. For the past decade she has worked with her colleagues to design and evaluate the effectiveness system-wide interventions that embed clinical decision support tools into the electronic health record to promote the delivery of evidence-based care to patients. Prior to that, she contributed to work to assess the efficacy of behavioral interventions to promote the initiation and maintenance of behaviors related to physical activity and weight management.
Conducting Institute research since 2001.
Education and training:
PhD, social psychology, University of Kansas, 1996
MS, social psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1992
Research interests include:
Pragmatic trials
Group randomized study design
Generalized linear mixed models
Current research activities and funding:
EHR-based decision support in primary care to improve identification or management for conditions including opioid use disorder (NIDA), chronic kidney disease (NIDDK), obesity management in diabetes (NIDDK) and cognitive impairment (NIA)
Dialectical behavioral therapy to prevent suicide attempts and deaths in youth (PCORI)
Telehealth care for uncontrolled high blood pressure (PCORI)
