Norma A. Padrón Appointed Associate Director of the Center
(Wynnewood, PA, August 31, 2016) — With a focus on improving the health management of the diverse communities served by Main Line Health, the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) recently launched the Population Health Research Center, in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson University.
“We are breaking new ground by creating a nationally visible research Center focused on population health,” said David B. Nash, MD, MBA and Dean of the Jefferson College of Population Health (JCPH). “The research we conduct here will directly influence and inform the delivery of health care on a local, regional and national level. We are excited to have this unique opportunity.”
The mission of the new Main Line Health Center for Population Health Research at the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research is to advance the health and wellness of the Main Line Health patient community through impactful research studies of population health management and health outcomes assessment. The Center will spearhead studies that explore the unique features of the patient population served by Main Line Health, including research that will help the organization enhance current care models through a better understanding of the underlying social and economic challenges inherent or under-addressed in the community.
“Our new Center will help us to close care gaps and address disparities in our communities’ health management—especially those that may not be fully understood or even identified yet,” said George Prendergast, PhD, CEO and President of LIMR, part of Main Line Health. “We look forward to furthering our expertise in this important field of research.”
Norma A. Padrón, PhD, MPH, who has been named Associate Director of the Center, comes to LIMR from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai University in New York City, where she served as an assistant professor of health economics. She also served as an economist research scientist at the New York Academy of Medicine. Dr. Padrón was awarded her doctoral degree in Health Economics and Policy from Yale University. She earned a master’s degree in Public Health from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, in Barcelona, Spain, and a master’s in Economics from Duke University in North Carolina. Her academic and professional training in economics and public health, as well as her upbringing in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, enables her to bring a unique perspective to the financial and social impacts associated with a community’s healthcare.
“The socioeconomic and demographic conditions in the Philadelphia area present unique challenges to the delivery of care and overall health outcomes in our community. Through our research, we will incorporate the clinical, social and economic evidence, while making use of local data to understand how to address these challenges,” said Dr. Padrón. “I look forward to building the new program into one that offers comprehensive and relevant data and evidence to the research community — research that can help improve individuals’ well-being and quality of life in our community and across the country.”
Dr. Padrón’s research has been funded by government agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and private foundations, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, WT Grant Foundation and NYS Health Foundation. In particular, her research focuses on the novel use of data and methodologies to design care delivery and payment models. She has worked with multidisciplinary teams in the settings of maternal and infant health, as well as diabetes and other chronic conditions. Her main goal is to translate her work and research into actionable strategies that contribute to the improvement of care delivery and outcomes for patients. She will be presenting her current work at several upcoming conferences, including Academy Health’s Concordium Conference and the American Public Health Association annual meeting in Denver this fall where she will discuss her work on data mining and classification methodologies to improve population health research.
In addition to her new role at LIMR, Dr. Padrón will also have a faculty appointment at JCPH. She and the JCPH faculty will work closely with Main Line Health clinicians and researchers to develop a robust research agenda for the Center. Faculty at JCPH are recognized thought-leaders in their fields who engage in research and scholarly activities in various aspects of population health. Topics of research include health care quality and safety, health economics and health outcomes, public health, comparative effectiveness, and health services research, especially as it pertains to social determinants of health.
About Main Line Health
Founded in 1985, Main Line Health (MLH) is a not-for-profit health system serving portions of Philadelphia and its western suburbs. At its core are four of the region’s respected acute care hospitals—Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital—as well as one of the nation’s premier facilities for rehabilitative medicine, Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital; Mirmont Treatment Center for drug and alcohol recovery; and Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice, a home health service. Main Line Health also consists of Main Line HealthCare, one of the region’s largest multi-specialty physician networks, and the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a non-profit biomedical research organization located on the campus of Lankenau Medical Center. Main Line Health is also comprised of four outpatient health centers located in Broomall, Collegeville, Exton and Newtown Square.
Main Line Health Hospitals, with more than 10,000 employees and 2,000 physicians, are the recipients of numerous awards for quality care and service, including System Magnet® designation, the nation’s highest distinction for nursing excellence, and being named among the nation’s best employers by Forbes magazine. Main Line Health is among the area’s leaders in medicine, providing advanced patient-centered care, education and research to help our community stay healthy. To learn more, visitmainlinehealth.org.
About Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
Founded in 1927, the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research center located in suburban Philadelphia on the campus of Lankenau Medical Center. Part of Main Line Health, LIMR is one of the few freestanding, hospital associated medical research centers in the nation. The faculty and staff at the Institute are dedicated to advancing an understanding of the causes of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. This information is used to help improve diagnosis and treatment of these diseases as well as find ways to prevent them. LIMR is also committed to extending the boundaries of human health and well-being through technology development and the training of the next generation of scientists and physicians. To learn about LIMR, visit limr.org.
Jefferson College of Population Health (JCPH)
The Jefferson College of Population Health (JCPH) was established in 2008 as part of Thomas Jefferson University in Center City Philadelphia. It is the only College of its kind, providing graduate education in population health, public health, health policy, healthcare quality and safety, and applied health economics and outcomes research supported by evidence-based research, scholarship, and publications. Dedicated to exploring the policies and forces that define the health and well-being of populations, JCPH prepares leaders with the global vision to examine the social determinants of health and to evaluate, develop and implement health policies and systems that will improve the health of populations and thereby enhance the quality of life. For more information, go to https://www.jefferson.edu/university/population-health.html.
