MSS News and Announcements

Aaron Kaat, PhD and the team at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS) received an education-related grant from the National Institute on Aging titled: "M4 Modules on Advanced Methodology when Modeling Multinational Data."

We are thrilled to welcome Jaime Hamil, MPH, DrPH, who joins the faculty of Northwestern University Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS) as a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Implementation Science.

Students from disciplines across Northwestern recently collaborated to pitch solutions to complex, real-world global health challenges at Global Health Day’s Intramural Global Health Case Competition.

A landmark JAMA Pediatrics study led by Rinad S. Beidas, PhD, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences, has been named the winner of the 2025 Greenwald Family Award for Excellence in Research on Firearm Violence Prevention. The honor recognizes Dr. Beidas and colleagues’ rigorously designed cluster randomized trial, which offers one of the clearest paths to date for embedding evidence-based secure firearm storage approaches into routine pediatric primary care.

A new paper in BMJ Quality & Safety from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine researchers Rinad S. Beidas, PhD; Cynthia Barnard, PhD, MBA; Lisa R. Hirschhorn, MD, MPH; Miriam R. Rafferty, DPT, PhD; Kelli Scott, PhD; Sara J. Becker, PhD; and Patricia D. Franklin, MD, MBA, MPH — representing the Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS) and the Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science (CDIS) — highlights the power of partnership between two disciplines that share a common goal: improving the quality, safety, and equity of healthcare.

Professor Lisa Hirschhorn, MD, MPH at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS) and Mosepele Mosepele, MBBS, BMedSci, MSc, University of Botswana received a R01 grant from The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute titled: “Integrating Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease Care into Existing HIV Service Package in Botswana (InterCARE)-Statin Sub-study.”

Assistant Professor Maja Kuharic, MPharm, Msc, PhD at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS) received two grants from the EuroQol Research Foundation, a leading international funder of research on the measurement and valuation of health, to further development of the EQ Health and Wellbeing (EQ-HWB) instrument.

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences is proud to announce that two trainees in the department, Hannah Cheng, MS, and Ian Sotomayor, BA, have been selected as Health Policy Research Scholars (HPRS), a prestigious leadership development program supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Twelve Feinberg faculty members were named to the 2025 “Highly Cited Researchers” list, published by Clarivate Analytics. The annual list identifies investigators who have demonstrated significant influence in their field through the publication of highly cited publications over the preceding eleven years.

A new National Cancer Institute (NCI) R37 MERIT Award will support an innovative clinical trial led by Alexandra Psihogios, PhD, at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS) and Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences and the University of Botswana Department of Psychology have received a three-year R34 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to support a new suicide prevention initiative for youth in Botswana.

Feinberg students, trainees, faculty and members from partner institutions shared research on interventions and policies aimed at advancing equitable healthcare on Oct. 14.

A new commentary, “Data-Driven Implementation Trials: Realizing Their Full Potential in Achieving the Promise of Learning Health Systems,” has been published in Learning Health Systems.

The Positive Psychology and Health Investigations Group (PPHIG) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences has received a generous $140,000 gift from The IV Fund, making it possible to transform the lab’s proven positive emotion skills program into a mobile app to be developed by DerShung Yang, PhD of BrightOutcome Inc.

Patients with newly diagnosed glaucoma who have less wealth or reside in rural communities are less likely to receive standard glaucoma care compared to wealthier patients, according to a recent multi-institution study published in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences is proud to announce a transformative partnership with the Rekhi Foundation for Happiness to expand access to evidence-based emotional well-being programs.

Two chronic pain treatments based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) — telehealth coaching and online self-completed pain coping skills training — improved pain severity and quality of life compared to usual care in patients with high-impact chronic pain, according to a recent study published in JAMA.

A cardiovascular disease risk prediction tool developed by Northwestern Medicine scientists may also be effective for identifying which patients most benefit from statin therapy, according to a recent study published in JAMA Cardiology.

MSS Announces Faculty Promotions for 2025

Kelli Scott, PhD and Sara Becker, PhD, faculty members in Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science, the Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS), and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences received a subcontract from the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Chan Medical School to serve as a key strategic partner on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)-funded New England Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC).

Ado Rivera, PhD and the team at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS) received a grant from the American Heart Association titled: "Mixed Methods Study on Impact and Implementation of Social Needs Screening and Referral on Hypertension Outcomes."

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences is proud to celebrate a banner year for Professor Dan Mroczek, PhD, Division Chief of Determinants of Health, whose extraordinary contributions to personality research and mentorship have been recognized with three major honors—all within the span of six remarkable days.

New Methodological Training Institute Empowers Researchers to Visualize Health Data with Impact

Northwestern's Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute unveils new service to support researchers in reaching and retaining study populations.

A new risk prediction tool developed by the American Heart Association (AHA) estimated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in a diverse patient cohort more accurately than current models, according to a recent study published in Nature Medicine.

A new study published in Science Advances is the first to use consumer wearables to quickly and precisely predict postoperative complications in children and shows potential for facilitating faster treatment and care.

We are proud to celebrate Dr. Jennifer Hoffmann, MD, MS, Assistant Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine) and Medical Social Sciences, for being selected as a 2025 Fellow of the Implementation Research Institute (IRI)—a national, NIH-funded training program widely regarded as a cornerstone in the field of implementation science.

Please join us in congratulating Eileen Graham, PhD, on being selected to the 2025–2026 Northwestern University LEAP (Leadership Education for Advancement and Promotion) cohort! This prestigious opportunity recognizes Graham’s dedication to leadership development and her commitment to advancing team science and collaboration.

We are proud to celebrate Juan Pablo Zapata, PhD, Research Assistant Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences, for being selected as a 2025 Fellow of the Implementation Research Institute (IRI)—one of the most prestigious and comprehensive training programs in the field of implementation science. T

Emily H. Ho, PhD, has been named to the 2025–2026 cohort of Northwestern University’s Leadership Education Advancement Program (NU-LEAP), a prestigious initiative designed to support emerging leaders among early and mid-career faculty at Feinberg School of Medicine.