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Dr. John Heintzman is a lead clinician scientist at OCHIN. He helps to guide the science and collaboration of a large, federally funded health disparities research portfolio, bridging numerous institutions and disciplines. In over 10 years at OCHIN, he has contributed to scientific direction; helped to establish and maintain partnerships with multiple research institutions including Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Harvard, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of California at San Francisco, and Emory University; and partnered with multiple national networks and agencies including National Institutes of Health, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute. He has been a bridge between academia and community, involving community leaders and clinicians in health equity work, encouraging their participation and leadership, and laboring to produce scientific evidence that informs real clinical practice and the health of communities. He has also co-directed the OHSU Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Family Medicine, overseeing a diverse and multidisciplinary group of early-stage investigators as they start careers in primary care and equity research.
John’s first contribution to science has been advancing the use of electronic health records (EHRs) to study utilization and outcomes in the primary care of vulnerable populations, especially Latinos. Specifically, he has authored several studies that demonstrate the validity of medical records against the current health services research gold standard: insurance claims data. These papers have found preventive service data and insurance data in EHRs to be valid when compared to gold standards. They have also found associations between race/ethnicity, language, insurance, and primary care utilization in low-income populations, and they challenge the health services research community to consider primary care EHR data sources in their health equity work. This culminated in his second authorship of a National Heart Lung and Blood Institute report on personalized medicine and Hispanic health (citation below) that addressed crucial data needs for studying health equity in Latino populations.
John’s second contribution to science has been to use this validated electronic health record to assess the preventive and primary care service utilization of low-income Latinos in community health centers. The following manuscripts, which he led, have shown that in a community health center setting, access and preventive service utilization may be equitable in many services.
John’s third contribution has been in the arena of advancing the science of primary care reform and health care disparities. The complexity inherent in primary care and its centrality in recent health reform initiatives makes it the perfect setting for the study of current health care disparities. These publications highlight that strength and how we think about health equity research questions and methods.
John’s fourth contribution to science has been to examine the setting in which primary care research is completed and assess the strengths and challenges for doing research in that setting. The below peer-reviewed publications highlight the experiences of primary care providers in a research network serving vulnerable patients; discuss the need for dissemination and implementation scientists to work with primary care researchers, utilizing early-stage investigators in primary care settings; and highlight the need to study health equity in primary care.
OCHIN Connections is a monthly newsletter featuring the latest OCHIN news and perspectives supporting our mission to drive health equity.