Varsha G. Vimalananda, MD, MPH
Associate Professor, Medicine

Biography
I am an endocrinologist, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Boston University, and a Physician-Scientist at the Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR) at the VA Bedford Medical Center. I lead research to improve the quality of specialty health care delivery from patient and clinician perspectives.
My projects include work to:
– Develop and validate survey measures of specialty care coordination from patient and clinician perspectives
– Measure coordination of face-to-face care, telehealth, and cross-system care and examine their influences and outcomes in order to guide improvement work
– Identify and apply strategies to improve the efficiency and experience of e-consults and telehealth
– Ensure a clinical perspective in research on telehealth, secure messaging, text messaging, patient portals, and natural language processing to improve care for patients with diabetes
My research draws on my expertise in survey methods, qualitative methods, care coordination, patient-centered care, and endocrinology subspecialty care. I serve as a subject matter expert as a member of the Endocrine Society Clinical Affairs Core Committee and also for the American College of Physicians Council of Subspecialty Societies.
Other Positions
- Physician-Scientist, Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), Bedford VA - Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Hosp
Education
- Drexel University College of Medicine, MD
- University of California, Berkeley, MPH
- University of Chicago, BA
Publications
- Published on 9/18/2021
Anderson E, Rinne ST, Orlander JD, Cutrona SL, Strymish JL, Vimalananda VG. Electronic consultations and economies of scale: a qualitative study of clinician perspectives on scaling up e-consult delivery. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2021 09 18; 28(10):2165-2175. PMID: 34338797.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 9/18/2021
Zocchi MS, Robinson SA, Ash AS, Vimalananda VG, Wolfe HL, Hogan TP, Connolly SL, Stewart MT, Am L, Netherton D, Shimada SL. Patient portal engagement and diabetes management among new portal users in the Veterans Health Administration. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2021 09 18; 28(10):2176-2183. PMID: 34339500.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 9/1/2021
Wolfe HL, Reisman JI, Yoon SS, Blosnich JR, Shipherd JC, Vimalananda VG, Rao SR, Hashemi L, Berlowitz D, Goodman M, Livingston NA, Reece SG, Jasuja GK. Validating Data-Driven Methods for Identifying Transgender Individuals in the Veterans Health Administration of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Am J Epidemiol. 2021 09 01; 190(9):1928-1934. PMID: 34467408.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 9/1/2021
Anderson E, Vimalananda VG, Orlander JD, Cutrona SL, Strymish JL, Bokhour BG, Rinne ST. Implications of Electronic Consultations for Clinician Communication and Relationships: A Qualitative Study. Med Care. 2021 09 01; 59(9):808-815. PMID: 34116530.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 7/1/2021
Vimalananda VG, Wormwood JB, Qian S, Meterko M, Sitter KE, Fincke BG. The Effect of Clinicians' Personal Acquaintance on Specialty Care Coordination as the Sharing of an EHR Increases. J Ambul Care Manage. 2021 Jul-Sep 01; 44(3):227-236. PMID: 34016849.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 4/12/2021
Wolfe HL, Reisman JI, Yoon S, Blosnich JR, Shipherd JC, Vimalananda VG, Rao SR, Hashemi L, Berlowitz D, Goodman M, Livingston NA, Reece SG, Jasuja GK. Validating Data-driven Methods to Identify Transgender Individuals in the Veterans Affairs. Am J Epidemiol. 2021 Apr 12. PMID: 33843970.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/22/2021
Yoon SS, Wong DH, Wormwood JB, Reisman JI, Vimalananda VG. Impact of Electronic Consultation on Timeliness and Guideline Concordance of Workups Leading to Thyroid Nodule Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy. Endocr Pract. 2021 Oct; 27(10):1011-1016. PMID: 33766654.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/1/2020
Vimalananda VG, Meterko M, Solch AK, Qian S, Wormwood JB, Greenlee CM, Smith CD, Fincke BG. Coordination of Care as Experienced by the Specialist: Validation of the CSC-Specialist Survey in the Private Sector and the Effect of a Shared Electronic Health Record. Med Care. 2020 12; 58(12):1051-1058. PMID: 32925459.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 9/11/2020
Anderson E, Solch AK, Fincke BG, Meterko M, Wormwood JB, Vimalananda VG. Concerns of Primary Care Clinicians Practicing in an Integrated Health System: a Qualitative Study. J Gen Intern Med. 2020 11; 35(11):3218-3226. PMID: 32918198.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 8/1/2020
Benzer JK, Gurewich D, Singer SJ, McIntosh NM, Mohr DC, Vimalananda VG, Charns MP. A Mixed Methods Study of the Association of Non-Veterans Affairs Care With Veterans' and Clinicians' Experiences of Care Coordination. Med Care. 2020 08; 58(8):696-702. PMID: 32692135.
Read at: PubMed
View 35 more publications: View full profile at BUMC