Our Team
Patient Priorities Care was developed by a national team of clinicians, patients, caregivers, health system leaders, payers, and funders. Communications and training coordination for Patient Priorities Care are primarily done by our core teams at Yale School of Medicine, UTHealth Houston, and Baylor College of Medicine.
Leads
Mary Tinetti, MD
Mary Tinetti, MD, is the Gladys Phillips Crofoot Professor of Medicine and a past Chief of Geriatrics at Yale School of Medicine.
Dr. Tinetti has authored over 250 publications. In her earlier work, she identified the causes, adverse consequences, and effective prevention of fall injuries in older adults and translated these findings into clinical and public health practice. Her current focus is on clinical decision-making and health care for older adults in the face of multiple health conditions, measuring the net benefits and harms of commonly used medications, and the importance of patient-reported and personal health outcomes. She also provides care to older adults at Yale New Haven Hospital.
Dr. Tinetti is the recipient of numerous awards and has served on several national advisory committees, including the NIH, FDA, NQF, and NCQA. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, a recent member of the Methodology Committee of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. She was an Atlantic Philanthropies Health and Aging Policy fellow at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which nourished her interest in healthcare innovations. Dr. Tinetti received her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Michigan.
Caroline Blaum, MD, MS
Caroline S. Blaum, MD, MS, is the Diane and Arthur Belfer Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Director of the Division of Geriatrics at NYU School of Medicine. Before joining NYU she was Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs at the University of Michigan where she led Medical Home and ACO efforts. Dr. Blaum has an active research program in translational research that has been supported by the NIA, AHRQ, the VARR&D, The John A. Hartford Foundation and PCORI concerning models of care, complex patients, frailty, and diabetes in older adults. Dr. Blaum is active in national policy work related to delivery system redesign and quality of care for patients with multiple chronic conditions. She was the Inaugural Chair of AGS’s Quality Performance and Measurement Committee and recently co-chaired the NQF Steering Committee to Develop a Framework for Quality Measurement for Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions. She maintains an active Geriatrics practice at NYU and teaches geriatrics to medical students and residents.
Aanand Naik, MD
Aanand D. Naik, MD, is a Uzi and Micki Halevy and Carmel Dyer, MD Interprofessional Research Fellow, the Executive Director of UTHealth Houston Institute on Aging, and a Professor and Associate Dean for Learning Health Systems and Chair of the Department of Management, Policy and Community Health at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.
Dr. Naik directs the dissemination and evaluation of Patient Priorities Care programs throughout the national Veterans Health Administration.
Dr. Naik received his medical degree and residency training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He has expertise in population health systems with a focus on improving shared decision-making and health outcomes for older adults with multiple morbid conditions. Dr. Naik’s research program includes randomized clinical trials, implementation science studies, and primary data collection of patients’ experiences and decision-making with health care supported by federal and foundation funding.
Dr. Naik leads geriatrics education, innovations, and scholarship with the UTHealth Houston Institute on Aging. His professional responsibilities also include supervision of education and research efforts in management, health services research, and community health practice at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.
Lilian Dindo, PhD
Lilian Dindo, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, Section of Health Services Research at Baylor College of Medicine. She is also a research health scientist at the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety at the Michael E DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Lilian Dindo earned a doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Iowa, completed her internship at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and then completed a fellowship at the Iowa Depression and Clinical Research Center. She also obtained a graduate certificate in clinical and translational investigation. Her clinical and research work has been focused on 1) developing innovative and pragmatic behavioral interventions aimed at improving the mental health and functioning of patients with chronic health problems – with a particular focus on acceptance and commitment therapy as the treatment approach; and 2) identifying the psychological mechanisms of action in effective treatments. She runs workshops for patients with multiple morbidities to help them learn new ways to cope with their difficulties and improve their quality of life. She is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health, Veterans Health Administration, and Office of Rural Health to study these questions.
Funders
This work is generously funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Department of Veterans Affairs. We have also received support through The Donaghue Foundation, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award.
