Jump to content

Choose locationChoose Location
  • Sign in or Enroll
    • Open I want to choose my medical group or hospital
    • Clear my location
Change Location

We've expanded your view

You are now viewing all services in the Sutter Health network. You can change your location above to narrow your view to a medical group, hospital, city or zip.
Sutter Health
  • Video Visits
  • Find Doctors
  • Find Locations
  • Treatments & Services
  • Locations
  • Sign in or Enroll
    • Video Visits
    • Find Doctors
    • Find Locations
    • Treatments & Services
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Symptom Checker
    • Get Care Today
    • Diseases & Conditions
    • Health & Wellness
    • Classes & Events
    • Research & Clinical Trials
    • For Patients
    • About Sutter Health
    • Giving
    • Volunteering
    • Careers
    • News
    • For Medical Professionals
    • Other Business Services
Close Search
  • Home
  • Research
  • Investigators
  • Robert Romanelli
Content

Investigator Robert Romanelli, Ph.D., MPH

Robert Romanelli, Ph.D., MPH

Associate Scientist

 

Robert Romanelli, Ph.D., MPH, is Director of Data and Analytics in the Center for Health Systems Research as well as Scientist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute of Sutter Health, where he leads a research program in pharmacoepidemiology and health outcomes. He is proficient in designing observational research studies, analyzing complex real-world healthcare data, and conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Dr. Romanelli's research program has two major objectives:

(1) to understand the variation in and determinants of medication prescribing and drug utilization at the patient, provider, and health system level in order to promote appropriate drug use and improve medication safety; and

(2) to examine the effectiveness of health system-based interventions, policies, and programs in order to improve patient outcomes and experiences of care. His research encompasses the areas of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, acute and chronic pain, and generic drug use.

In addition to his role at Sutter Health, Dr. Romanelli is Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor in the School of Pharmacy, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, at the University of California San Francisco, where he serves as a lecturer and pharmacy student preceptor.


Sutter Health Research Enterprise
795 El Camino Real
Ames Building
Palo Alto, CA, 94301-2302
(650) 330-5865  
romanerj1@sutterhealth.org

Primary Research Interests

  • Addiction Pharmacology
  • Aging and Longevity
  • Autoimmune Disease
  • COVID-19
  • Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Cerebrovascular Disorders
  • Comparative Effectiveness
  • Diabetes Type 2
  • Diabetes, Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome
  • Disease Management
  • Endocrinology and Metabolism
  • Food and Nutrition
  • General Cardiology
  • Health Disparities
  • Health Policy
  • Health Services
  • Infectious Disease
  • Liver Diseases and Transplant
  • Lung Diseases
  • MS (Multiple Sclerosis)
  • Medical Informatics
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Musculoskeletal Disorders
  • Neurological Disorders
  • Obesity
  • Pain
  • Pharmacoepidemiology
  • Prevention and Health Maintenance
  • Women's Health

Related Clinical Trials

Verily

Onduo Virtual Diabetes Clinic Study

Investigator: Robert Romanelli Ph.D., MPH, Associate Scientist

Status: Completed

Publications

Patients' medication-related experience of care is associated with adherence to cardiometabolic disease therapy in real-world clinical practice.

Efforts to include pts in tx decision making and provide education on meds are solutions to improve adherence to CMD tx and outcomes.

Increasing prevalence of primary biliary cholangitis and reduced mortality with treatment.

Prevalence of PBC increased from 2004-2014. Pt demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as ursodeoxycholic acid tx, affected mortality.

Factors associated with prevalence and treatment of primary biliary cholangitis in United States health systems.

Analyzed a large cohort of pts with PBC receiving routine clinical care. Observed significant differences in PBC prevalence and treatment by sex, race, and age.

Opioid prescribing for chronic pain in a community-based healthcare system.

Opioid prescribing to pts with chronic pain varied by type & number of pain conditions. Such Rx's to men, those with back pain, & Medicaid recipients were high.

A shared medical appointment on the benefits and risks of opioids is associated with improved patient confidence in managing chronic pain.

A shared medical appointment on the benefits and risks of opioids was associated with prompt improvements in patients’ confidence in self-managing pain.

Provider and patient determinants of generic levothyroxine prescribing: an electronic health records-based study.

Generic levothyroxine prescribing differed by PCPs and endocrinologists. Residual variation in generic prescribing, after accounting for measurable factors, indicates the need for provider interventions or patient education aimed at improving levothyroxine generic uptake.

Patient characteristics and healthcare utilization of a chronic pain population within an integrated healthcare system.

Based on prevalence, comorbidities, and healthcare utilization, several types of CP, including neuropathies/neuralgias, arthritis/joint pain, and unclassified pain, appear to be most impactful.

Forces influencing generic drug development in the United States: a narrative review.

Review of influences on, and strategies to incentivize, generic drug development in the U.S.

Estimating generic drug use with electronic health records data from a health care delivery system: implications for quality improvement and research.

Algorithm that estimates generic drug use performed well in managed care pop. Methods may be used for QI and research, esp. when pharm. claims aren't available.

Dyslipidemia in special ethnic populations.

Culturally-tailored prevention and intervention should be provided to the minority populations with elevated risk for dyslipidemia.

Dabigatran versus warfarin for atrial fibrillation in real-world clinical practice: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

In real-world clinical practice, dabigatran is comparable with warfarin in preventing ischemic stroke among patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. However, dabigatran is associated with a lower risk for intracranial bleeding relative to warfarin, but, particularly among the elderly, a greater risk for gastrointestinal bleeding. Bleeding outcomes from observational studies are consistent with those from the pivotal Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulation Therapy trial.

Clocks moving at different speeds: cultural variation in the satisfaction with wait time for outpatient care.

Given actual wait times, Asians perceive longer wait time and were less satisfied with wait times. Asians may have different expectations about wait time at the clinic.

Diabetes prevention and weight loss with a fully automated behavioral intervention by email, web, and mobile phone: a randomized controlled trial among persons with prediabetes.

Alive-PD improved glycemic control, body weight, BMI, waist circumference, TG/HDL ratio, and diabetes risk. As a fully automated system, the program has high potential for scalability and could potentially reach many of the 86 million US adults who have prediabetes as well as other at-risk groups.

Dyslipidemia in special ethnic populations.

Culturally-tailored prevention and intervention should be provided to the minority populations with elevated risk for dyslipidemia and considerably more research is needed to determine the best approaches to helping specific subgroups.

Effectiveness of a group-based lifestyle change program versus usual care: an electronic health record, propensity score-matched cohort study

This study examines the effectiveness of a CDC and prevention-aligned lifestyle change program relative to usual care in clinical practice.

The learning health system in crisis: lessons from the novel coronavirus disease pandemic

Advocating for a learning health network that promotes collaboration between health systems, community-based organizatons, and government agencies

Glycemic outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes participating in a continuous glucose monitor-driven virtual diabetes clinic: prospective trial.

Onduo virtual diabetes clinic provides support in T2D between office visits with access to endocrinologists and advanced diabetes technology.

Disparities In outcomes among COVID-19 patients In a large health care system In California.

Our study provides real-world evidence that there are racial and ethnic disparities in the presentation of COVID-19.

Statin utilization and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in statin-treated patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: trends from a community-based health care delivery system, 2002-2016.

Modest LDL-C lowering for secondary ASCVD prevention is likely driven by suboptimal adherence and low high-intensity statin Rx's & low tx intensification rates.

Multiple sclerosis in a multi-ethnic population from Northern California: a retrospective analysis, 2010-2016.

In Northern CA Cohort, between 2010 and 2016 the direct-standardised MS prevalence was estimated at 288.0 per 100,000 population, and increased over time.

Barriers and facilitators to real-world implementation of the Diabetes Prevention Program in large healthcare systems: lifestyle coach perspectives.

Key factors that could serve as barriers or facilitators in the implementation of DPP in large healthcare systems, from the perspective of lifestyle coaches.

Ursodeoxycholic acid treatment preferentially improves overall survival among African Americans with primary biliary cholangitis.

Among African Americans with primary biliary cholangitis, ursodeoxycholic acid treatment was associated with significantly lower mortality.

Early weight loss and treatment response: data from a lifestyle change program in clinical practice.

Percentage weight change at 12 weeks from baseline can serve as a single indicator of nonresponse at the completion of the 12-month lifestyle change program.

Implementation of a group-based diabetes prevention program within a healthcare delivery system.

Variation in the implementation of the DPP within a large multi-site healthcare system may affect effectiveness. Consider alternatives to anticipate barriers.

Longitudinal weight outcomes from a behavioral lifestyle intervention in clinical practice.

A lifestyle change program in clinical practice is associated with modest weight loss, sustained through 24 months, in setting of cardiometabolic risk factors.

Short-term weight trajectories and long-term weight outcomes from a lifestyle intervention in real-world clinical practice.

With relationship between magnitudes of short- and long-term wt change, individual wt trajectories may be useful in identifying non-responders who need alt tx.

Statin dosing instructions, medication adherence, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: a cohort study of incident statin users.

Among incident statin users from a clinical setting, those with daily and evening dosing instructions had similar adherence rates and mean changes in LDL-c.

Racial and ethnic disparities in opioid prescribing for long bone fractures at discharge from the emergency department: a cross-sectional analysis of 22 centers from a health care delivery system in Northern California.

Racial and ethnic minority groups with long bone fractures receive similar frequencies of opioid prescriptions at discharge, with a small potency difference.

Predictors of statin compliance after switching from branded to generic agents among managed-care beneficiaries.

The majority of study patients switched from branded to generic agents were compliant with therapy in the first 6 months after switching.

Improving adherence to best-practice guidelines for venous thromboembolism risk assessment and prevention.

Use of a nurse case manager and developing an automated VTE-risk-assessment tool improved adherence to best practice guidelines.

Disparities in blood pressure control within a community-based provider network: an exploratory analysis.

Potential disparities, particularly among diabetic individuals and those of minority race/ethnicity, were found with regard to BP control and the agents used to treat hypertension.

Disparities in adherence to and persistence with antihypertensive regimens: an exploratory analysis from a community-based provider network.

Disparities were found with regard to adherence to and persistence with antihypertensive regimens.

Treatment and management of postmenopausal osteoporosis within an ambulatory care network.

Proportion of community pts with premenopausal osteoporosis who received pharmacologic treatment at diagnosis and had a baseline DXA scan was relatively low.

Multivariate analysis of factors associated with persistent colesevelam treatment among patients with hypercholesterolemia.

This study identified several patient demographic and characteristics associated with persistent colesevelam treatment that may help develop strategies to improve treatment persistence and optimize clinical outcomes.

Colesevelam in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia: a retrospective analysis from an ambulatory care medical network.

Colesevelam treatment in a real-world setting was associated with improvements in LDL-C and HBA1C through 24 months of follow-up.

Behavioral therapy and serotonin reuptake inhibitor pharmacotherapy in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of head-to-head randomized controlled trials.

We sought to review evidence from head-to-head randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of behavioral therapy and SRIs in the treatment of OCD.

Compliance after switching from branded to generic statins.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of switching from branded to generic statins on medication compliance. Compliance with statin therapy was largely similar among patients who switch to generic statins and those remaining on branded statins.

Patient-reported experiences in discussing prescribed medications with a health care provider: evidence for racial/ethnic disparities in a large health care delivery system.

Almost all racial/ethnic groups report poorer experiences with involvement in treatment decisions and information received about medications than NHWs.

Determinants of generic drug substitution in the United States.

Mail-order pharmacies, as often required by pharmacy benefits managers, lessen generic use for many classes. These pharmacies may require more regulation.

Preventive visit among older adults with Medicare's introduction of Annual Wellness Visit: closing gaps in underutilization.

Evaluated changes in preventive visit utilization with Medicare's Annual Wellness Visits, begun in 2011, how coverage expansion differentially affected seniors.

Pharmacist-led medication management program within a patient-centered medical home.

The impact of a clinical pharmacist-led medication management program within a patient-centered medical home was evaluated.

Comparative effectiveness of early versus delayed metformin in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Treatment with metformin earlier in the course of type 2 diabetes is associated with better glycemic control, more pronounced weight reduction, and a lower risk for therapy intensification than delayed treatment. Antihyperglycemic therapy should be initiated early after diagnosis to achieve optimal outcomes.

A fully automated diabetes prevention program, Alive-PD: program design and randomized controlled trial protocol.

Randomized trial will provide rigorous evidence regarding the efficacy of this Internet-based program in preventing progression to diabetes.

Research Studies

COVID-19 Universal Registry for Vital Evaluations (CURVE) Project

To create a COVID-19 Universal Registry for Vital Evaluations (CURVE) database, a semi-real-time registry of Sutter Health patients with COVID-19 infection.

Investigators: Jiang Li Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Scientist, Robert Romanelli Ph.D., MPH, Associate Scientist

Does the Medicare Preventive Visit Coverage Benefit Seniors With Multiple Chronic Conditions?

We will assess the impact of covered preventive visits among Medicare beneficiaries using electronic health records data from PAMF, between 2006 and 2015.

Investigator: Robert Romanelli Ph.D., MPH, Associate Scientist

Effect of Therapeutic Class on Generic Drug Substitutions

Evaluate and rank-order generic substitution rates by therapeutic class, as well as examine factors associated with higher/lower rates of generic substitution.

Investigators: External PI Principal Investigator, Robert Romanelli Ph.D., MPH, Associate Scientist

Evaluation of a Lifestyle Intervention Adopted for Clinical Practice for Diabetes Prevention (ELEVATE-DP)

This study will identify important barriers to and facilitators of translating an efficacious diabetes prevention intervention (Group Lifestyle Balance, GLB)

Investigators: Kristen M.J. Azar R.N., BSN, MSN/MPH, Investigator, Alice R. Pressman Ph.D., M.S., Robert Romanelli Ph.D., MPH, Associate Scientist, Sylvia Sudat PhD

Medication Adherence and Patient Satisfaction With Provider Communication Difference Across Diverse Racial/Ethnic Groups

The goal of this study is to evaluate the role of patient satisfaction with experience of care and adherence to medications in diverse race/ethnic groups.

Investigator: Robert Romanelli Ph.D., MPH, Associate Scientist

Prescription Amphetamine-based Stimulants and Pulmonary Hypertension

In retrospective, longitudinal cohort study, examine the relationship between use of prescription amphetamine-based stimulants and pulmonary hypertension.

Investigators: Robert Romanelli Ph.D., MPH, Associate Scientist, Sandra Wilson Ph.D., Senior Scientist

Redesigning Chronic Pain Management in Primary Care: Improving Coordination, Outcomes, & Experience

Evaluate the Chronic Pain Management Redesign Program that involves provider and patient education, and the development of electronic resources.

Investigators: Robert Romanelli Ph.D., MPH, Associate Scientist, Sandra Wilson Ph.D., Senior Scientist

The Sutter Health Network of Care
Expertise to fit your needs
Primary Care

Check-ups, screenings and sick visits for adults and children.

Specialty Care

Expertise and advanced technologies in all areas of medicine.

Emergency Care

For serious accidents, injuries and conditions that require immediate medical care.

Urgent Care

After-hours, weekend and holiday services.

Walk-In Care

Convenient walk-in care clinics for your non-urgent health needs.

About Sutter

  • About Our Network
  • Annual Report
  • Awards
  • Community Benefit
  • Contact Us
  • News
  • Giving
  • Find Care

  • Birth Centers
  • Care Centers
  • Emergency Rooms
  • Hospitals
  • Imaging
  • Labs
  • Surgery Centers
  • Urgent Care
  • Walk-In Care
  • View All >
  • Featured Services

  • Behavioral Health
  • Cancer Services
  • Family Medicine
  • Home Health and Hospice
  • Orthopedics
  • Pediatrics
  • Pregnancy
  • Primary Care
  • Women's Health
  • View All >
  • Patient Resources

  • Accepted Health Plans
  • Classes and Events
  • Estimate Costs
  • Flu Resources
  • Health and Wellness
  • Medical Records
  • Medicare
  • My Health Online
  • Pay a Bill
  • Symptom Checker
  • Our Team

  • For Employees
  • Physician Careers
  • Recruiting Events
  • Sutter Careers
  • Vendors
  • Volunteers
    • ADA Accessibility
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information

    • LinkedIn Opens new window
    • YouTube Opens new window
    • Facebook Opens new window
    • Twitter Opens new window
    • Glassdoor Opens new window
    • Instagram Opens new window

    Copyright © 2021 Sutter Health. All rights reserved. Sutter Health is a registered trademark of Sutter Health ®, Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark office.

    Cookie Policy

    We use cookies to give you the best possible user experience. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences

    Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences