Varsha G. Vimalananda MD, MPH
Associate Professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition & Weight Management
Physician-Scientist, Center for Health Optimization & Implementation Research (CHOIR)
150 S Huntington Avenue | (617) 638-8530varsha.vimalananda@bmc.org
varsha.vimalananda@va.gov
varshav@bu.edu

Sections
Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition & Weight Management
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.
Websites
VA Boston Center for Healthcare Organization & Implementation Research
Interview with the Endocrine Society -- Mind the Gap: Health Services Research
Education
MD, Drexel University College of Medicine
Epidemiology, MPH, University of California, Berkeley
Anthropology, BA, University of Chicago
Publications
Abdellatif B, Natarajan V, Leibowitz AJ, Sitter KE, Vimalananda VG. Electronic Consultations for Endocrine Conditions: A Scoping Review. J Endocr Soc. 2024 Sep 26; 8(11):bvae170. PMID: 39403676.
Published on 7/8/2024Jasuja GK, Wolfe HL, Reisman JI, Vimalananda VG, Rao SR, Blosnich JR, Livingston NA, Shipherd JC. Corrigendum: Clinicians in the Veterans Health Administration initiate gender-affirming hormone therapy in concordance with clinical guideline recommendations. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024; 15:1448887. PMID: 39040672.
Published on 5/10/2024Jasuja GK, Wolfe HL, Reisman JI, Vimalananda VG, Rao SR, Blosnich JR, Livingston NA, Shipherd JC. Clinicians in the Veterans Health Administration initiate gender-affirming hormone therapy in concordance with clinical guideline recommendations. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024; 15:1086158. PMID: 38800485.
Published on 4/3/2024Wolfe HL, Vimalananda VG, Wong DH, Reisman JI, Rao SR, Shipherd JC, Blosnich JR, Livingston NA, Jasuja GK. Patient Characteristics Associated with Receiving Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy in the Veterans Health Administration. Transgend Health. 2024 Apr; 9(2):151-161. PMID: 38694620.
Published on 3/22/2024Kaitz J, Vimalananda VG, Charns MP, Fix GM. Multidisciplinary providers' perceptions of care delivery for sleep disorders: A qualitative case study. Sleep Health. 2024 Jun; 10(3):342-347. PMID: 38519364.
Published on 2/6/2024Zogas A, Sitter KE, Barker AM, Fix GM, Khanna A, Herbst AN, Vimalananda VG. Strategies for engaging patients in co-design of an intervention. Patient Educ Couns. 2024 Jun; 123:108191. PMID: 38367306.
Published on 12/1/2023Zupa MF, Vimalananda VG, Rothenberger SD, Lin JY, Ng JM, McCoy RG, Rosland AM. Patterns of Telemedicine Use and Glycemic Outcomes of Endocrinology Care for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Dec 01; 6(12):e2346305. PMID: 38055278.
Published on 12/1/2023Anderson E, Krones A, Vimalananda VG, Cutrona SL, Orlander JD, Strymish JL, Rinne ST. Understanding suboptimal e-consult requests: lessons from the VA. Am J Manag Care. 2023 Dec 01; 29(12):e378-e385. PMID: 38170529.
Published on 11/27/2023Vimalananda VG, Meterko M, Sitter KE, Qian S, Wormwood JB, Fincke BG. Patients' Experience of Specialty Care Coordination: Survey Development and Validation. J Patient Cent Res Rev. 2023; 10(4):219-230. PMID: 38046998.
Published on 11/14/2023Hung A, Wong ES, Dennis PA, Stechuchak KM, Blalock DV, Smith VA, Hoerster K, Vimalananda VG, Raffa SD, Maciejewski ML. Real World Use of Anti-Obesity Medications and Weight Change in Veterans. J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Mar; 39(4):519-528. PMID: 37962730.
Media Mentions
Published on 10/7/2022
Telehealth visits expected to remain important in endocrine care
Published on 10/4/2022
Fractures & Intellectual Disability; Incorporating Telehealth; Start Calcium Young?
Published on 4/14/2020
E-Consults May Be Appropriate Alternative to In-Person Specialist Visit
Published on 5/28/2019
US veterans with obesity underutilize weight management medications
View full list of 4 media mentions.