Gemmae M. Fix, PhD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Gemmae M. Fix, PhD is an applied medical anthropologist with postdoctoral training in health services research. She currently serves as the Acting Associate Director at the Center for Health Optimization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), a VA Health Services Research Center of Innovation, co-located at the Boston and Bedford VA Medical Centers. Dr. Fix’s research uses ethnographic, qualitative methods to advance the delivery of patient-centered care, particularly for populations stigmatized for their behaviors, such as people living with HIV or those at risk for lung cancer. She has led AHRQ, VA and DoD funded studies examining patients’ experiences of care, patient-centered HIV care, and the use of co-design methods to engage patients in the research process.

Additionally, Dr. Fix is interested in the professional development of social scientists. She has written extensively about the careers of anthropologists, including two guest edited volumes of Practicing Anthropology, profiling the work of anthropologists working in health-related settings. She led the formation of the Medical Anthropologists and Social Scientists in Health (MASSH) interest group which brings together anthropologists and allied social scientists working in applied health settings (hospitals, health departments, companies, community-based organizations, and universities) to promote professional development, research collaboration, and educational opportunities. Further, she has developed and taught qualitative methods courses for health professionals, including pragmatic ethnography. Dr. Fix is a Fellow of the Academy of Communication in Healthcare as well as the Society for Applied Anthropology. She was elected to the Board of the Society for Applied Anthropology where she served as Secretary (2022-2025). In these roles, she advances use of social science approaches to address healthcare research questions.

Publications

  • Published 12/12/2025

    Fix GM, Jordan JA, McDannold S, Clayman ML, Baim-Lance A, Sullivan NL, Webber KT, McAndrew LM, Barker AM. Ask the Experts: Veterans' Perspectives on Communicating About Airborne Hazard Exposures. Med Care. 2026 Jan 01; 64(2S Suppl 2):S124-S129. PMID: 41385257.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/4/2025

    Nevedal AL, Kowalski CP, Finley EP, Fix GM, Hamilton AB, Koenig CJ. Optimizing qualitative methods in implementation research: a resource for editors, reviewers, authors, and researchers to dispel ten common misperceptions about qualitative research methods. Implement Sci. 2025 Dec 04. PMID: 41340150.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/1/2025

    Kearney LE, Brady JE, Pendergast J, Barker AM, Fix GM, Caverly TJ, Tanner NT, Tosi H, Tarren A, Do NV, Elbers D, Wiener RS. Proactive, Prediction-Driven Outreach for Lung Cancer Screening: Development and Feasibility of a Population Management Toolkit. J Am Coll Radiol. 2025 Dec; 22(12):1536-1546. PMID: 41338707.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/1/2025

    Kearney LE, Pendergast JN, Sista A, Barker AM, Abrams S, Wilder FG, Chatelain L, Eliacin J, Fix GM, Wiener RS. What a Peer-Led, Community-Engaged Lung Cancer Screening Pilot Study Taught Us About Reaching Black Veterans. J Am Coll Radiol. 2025 Dec; 22(12):1547-1551. PMID: 41338708.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/3/2025

    Cutrona SL, McDannold SE, DeLaughter KL, Fix GM, Shimada SL, Bokhour BG, Gordon HS, Pope C, Smith BM, Ndiwane N, Gardner J, DeFelice DC, Bal ES, Long JA. Text Messaging and Video Stories to Support Hypertension Self-Management in Black Veterans: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Nov 03; 8(11):e2541342. PMID: 41191358.

    Read at: PubMed

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Websites

Education

  • State University of New York at Buffalo, PhD
  • State University of New York at Buffalo, MA
  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, BA

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