We are thrilled to share with you the recent adventures of Nina Juntereal (PENN ’23),…
While finishing her PhD and Masters in Bioethics (MBE) at the University of Pennsylvania, Lauren Starr, PhD, MBE, RN, used her Hillman AERO grant to complete her dissertation research titled, “Associations Among End-of-Life Discussions, Healthcare Utilization, Costs, and Race/Ethnicity in Persons with Serious Illness.” Upon graduation from Penn, her dissertation won the prestigious Henry O. Thompson Prize in Ethics* for her “remarkable skills in exploring a topic with important ethical implications—costs associated with end-of-life care.”
Dr. Starr’s AERO grant was used to partner with statisticians from the University of Pennsylvania Health System on complex statistical methods, including propensity score matching for a dataset of over 30,000 patients, and fees associated with publishing and presenting at conferences.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the generous support of the Hillman Foundation. The AERO grant helped me answer important questions using complex statistical methods that I could not have otherwise accessed. My research shows that palliative care consultations to discuss patient values and goals of care—essentially, what makes life meaningful for vulnerable persons with serious illness—is not only essential to providing patient-centered end-of-life care and improving hospice enrollment across races/ethnicities, but is also cost effective. “
Her research focuses on telehealth interventions for hospice caregivers and assessing anxiety, depression, and quality of life among informal hospice caregivers by race/ethnicity.
My research identifies racial/ethnic differences in which patients are likely to have care goal conversations close to death, when there may be little time to align person values with treatment decisions, and can be used to improve the care of racial minorities with serious illness. As our nation grapples with racial disparities in health and how we treat our most vulnerable citizens and neighbors, my findings can be used to better support patients of all races as they approach death.” Dr. Lauren Starr
Dr. Starr is currently pursuing a postdoctoral fellowship in Palliative and End-of-Life Care at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in the NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health and works closely with Penn faculty members, Dr. George Demiris, Dr. Debbie Parker Oliver, Dr. Salimah Meghani, and Dr. Connie Ulrich. She is a Jonas Nurse Leader Scholar and member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. Her postgraduate work is funded by the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award in Individualized Care for At Risk Older Adults (National Institute of Nursing Research, T32NR009356), and a supplemental joint grant through Penn and the Washington University of St. Louis and the Goldfarb School of Nursing.
Recent publications in top palliative care and nursing journals – four directly related to Starr’s AERO grant:
- Starr LT, O’Connor NR, Meghani SH. 2021. Improved Serious Illness CommunicationMay Help Mitigate Racial Disparities in Care Among Black Americans with COVID-19. Journal of General Internal Medicine
DOI: 10.1007/s11606-020-06557-9. - Starr LT, Ulrich CM, Junker P, Huang L, O’Connor NR, Meghani SH. 2020. Patient Risk Factor Profiles Associated with the Timing of Goals-of-Care Consultation Before Death: A Classification and Regression Tree Analysis. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. 2020;37(10):767-778.
- Starr LT, Ulrich CM, Junker P, Appel SM, O’Connor NR, Meghani SH. 2020. Goals-of-Care Consultation Associated with Increased Hospice Enrollment Among Propensity-Matched Cohorts of Seriously Ill African American and White Patients. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2020;S0885-3924(20)30424-3.
- Starr LT, Ulrich CM, Appel SM, Junker P, O’Connor NR, Meghani SH. 2020. Goals-of-Care Consultations Are Associated with Lower Costs and Less Acute Care Use among Propensity-Matched Cohorts of African Americans and Whites with Serious Illness. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2020;10.1089/jpm.2019.0522.
- Starr LT, Magan KC. 2020. Model of Empathic Pain Assessment and Treatment in Persons with Dementia. Research in Gerontological Nursing 2020;1-13.
- Starr LT, Ulrich C, Corey K, Meghani SH. 2019. Associations Among End-of-Life Discussions, Health-Care Utilization, and Costs in Persons With Advanced Cancer: a Systematic Review. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine 2019; 36(10):913-926.
She is also co-author of the following paper available online ahead of print:
- Meghani S, Levoy K, Magan K, Starr L, Wool J, Yocavitch L, Mao J, Barg F. I’m Dealing with That: Illness Concerns of African American and White Cancer Patients while Undergoing Active Cancer Treatments. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. 2020 Oct 27;1049909120969121.
*The Henry O. Thompson Prize in Ethics is awarded to a graduating master’s or doctoral student for distinction on ethical thinking and action. This award was established and funded by Dr. Joyce E. Thompson in memory of her husband “Hank,” who was a long-time member of the School’s Adjunct Faculty.