Karen J. Wernli, PhD

“I consider patients the core of my research.”

Karen J. Wernli, PhD

Senior Scientific Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Professor, Department of Health System Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
Affiliate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Department of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington

Karen.J.Wernli@kp.org
206-287-2934
Twitter: @wernlikarenj

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Biography

Karen Wernli, PhD, is a cancer epidemiologist and health services researcher whose work focuses on incorporating patient-centered outcomes to improve care along the cancer care continuum, from prevention to survivorship. Her work spans several cancer types, including lung, breast, and colorectal, and also explores the impact of cancer in special populations, such as adolescents and young adults. Her research strives to answer critical questions at the confluence of patients’ needs and clinical priorities. Overall, her research has resulted in more than $38 million in research funding, more than 170 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 42), and over 85 presentations at national conferences, symposia, and other public venues.

Dr. Wernli is a leader in lung cancer screening research. She is currently conducting a pragmatic clinical trial funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to test 2 multilevel interventions to improve adherence to annual lung cancer screening at Kaiser Permanente Washington. Study interventions were developed using a mixed-methods approach — including patient and stakeholder engagement and human-centered design methods — to determine gaps for interventions, relevant features of interventions, and design concepts. Dr. Wernli is also leading NCI-funded research in expanding lung cancer screening in federally-qualified healthcare systems through the National Cancer Institute SUMMIT Initiative.

Dr. Wernli is a leader in the use of breast imaging in women with prior breast cancer, including in the use of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dr. Wernli recently completed a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) project that compared breast MRI to mammography for women already treated for breast cancer. Called Surveillance Imaging Modalities for Breast Cancer Assessment (SIMBA), the study used data from the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) and engaged patients and stakeholders to determine the best information for patient and physician decision-making. Dr. Wernli’s team translated that information into a new decision aid for breast cancer survivors. PCORI has recognized this work nationally and pointed to SIMBA as a model for effective patient engagement.

Dr. Wernli is leading patient-centered research in adolescent and young adult (AYA) populations. She is a project co-lead with Kaiser Permanente Southern California researcher Erin Hahn, PhD, MPH, and Veterans Affairs researcher Neetu Chawla, PhD, MPH, in an NCI-funded project to evaluate health service utilization in early survivorship for AYA populations. The research is intended to identify multilevel gaps in health care utilization in AYA early-cancer survivors for forthcoming interventions.

Finally, Dr. Wernli also leads clinical research studies beyond oncology. She is principal investigator of a multisite study of flu and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2022 to 2027. Her study team annually enrolls about 1,200 participants with flu-like symptoms into her research.

Dr. Wernli is a member of the American Society for Preventive Oncology, the Society for Epidemiologic Research, the American Society for Clinical Oncology, and the American Association for Cancer Research. She is an affiliate professor of epidemiology and health systems and population health at the University of Washington and a professor of health system science at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.

Research interests and experience

Cancer

Breast, lung, colorectal, ovarian, skin, and endometrial cancer; screening and surveillance; survivorship; patient-centered care; biostatistics; low-dose CT (LDCT); mammography; surveillance imaging; breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); systematic reviews; multilevel intervention studies; pragmatic clinical trials
Health Services & Economics

Comparative effectiveness research, health outcomes research, patient-centered outcomes, health care quality, implementation science

Preventive Medicine

Cancer screening and surveillance
Patient-Centeredness

Patient engagement, stakeholder engagement, qualitative research methods, mixed-methods, human-centered design
Vaccines & Infectious Diseases
Aging & Geriatrics

Recent publications

Schousboe JT, Sprague BL, Abraham L, O'Meara ES, Onega T, Advani S, Henderson LM, Wernli KJ, Zhang D, Miglioretti DL, Braithwaite D, Kerlikowske K Cost-Effectiveness of Screening Mammography Beyond Age 75 Years : A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis 2022 Jan;175(1):11-19. doi: 10.7326/M20-8076. Epub 2021-11-23. PubMed

Zhang D, Abraham L, Sprague BL, Onega T, Advani S, Demb J, Miglioretti DL, Henderson LM, Wernli KJ, Walter LC, Kerlikowske K, Schousboe JT, Chrischilles E, Braithwaite D, O'Meara ES, Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium Mammography adherence in relation to function-related indicators in older women 2022 Jan;154:106869. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106869. Epub 2021-11-09. PubMed

Onega T, Zhu W, Kerlikowske K, Miglioretti DL, Lee CI, Henderson LM, Tosteson ANA, Wernli KJ, diFlorio R, Weaver DL, Buist DSM Preoperative MRI in breast cancer: effect of breast density on biopsy rate and yield 2022 Jan;191(1):177-190. doi: 10.1007/s10549-021-06418-x. Epub 2021-10-22. PubMed

Bowles EJA, O'Neill SC, Li T, Knerr S, Mandelblatt JS, Schwartz MD, Jayasekera J, Leppig K, Ehrlich K, Farrell D, Gao H, Graham AL, Luta G, Wernli KJ Effect of a Randomized Trial of a Web-Based Intervention on Patient-Provider Communication About Breast Density 2021 Nov;30(11):1529-1537. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2021.0053. Epub 2021-09-28. PubMed

Schifferdecker KE, Vaclavik D, Wernli KJ, Buist DSM, Kerlikowske K, Sprague BL, Henderson LM, Johnson D, Budesky J, Jackson-Nefertiti G, Miglioretti DL, Tosteson ANA Women's considerations and experiences for breast cancer screening and surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: A focus group study 2021 Oct;151:106542. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106542. Epub 2021-06-30. PubMed

Kerlavage AR, Kirchhoff AC, Guidry Auvil JM, Sharpless NE, Davis KL, Reilly K, Reaman G, Penberthy L, Deapen D, Hwang A, Durbin EB, Gallotto SL, Aplenc R, Volchenboum SL, Heath AP, Aronow BJ, Zhang J, Vaske O, Alonzo TA, Nathan PC, Poynter JN, Armstrong G, Hahn EE, Wernli KJ, Greene C, DiGiovanna J, Resnick AC, Shalley ER, Nadaf S, Kibbe WA Cancer Informatics for Cancer Centers: Scientific Drivers for Informatics, Data Science, and Care in Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer 2021 Aug;5:881-896. doi: 10.1200/CCI.21.00040. PubMed

Zhang D, Abraham L, Demb J, Miglioretti DL, Advani S, Sprague BL, Henderson LM, Onega T, Wernli KJ, Walter LC, Kerlikowske K, Schousboe JT, O'Meara ES, Braithwaite D, Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium Function-related indicators and outcomes of screening mammography in older women: evidence from the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium cohort 2021 Aug;30(8):1582-1590. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-21-0152. Epub 2021-06-02. PubMed

Lee JM, Ichikawa LE, Wernli KJ, Bowles E, Specht JM, Kerlikowske K, Miglioretti DL, Lowry KP, Tosteson ANA, Stout NK, Houssami N, Onega T, Buist DSM Digital Mammography and Breast Tomosynthesis Performance in Women with a Personal History of Breast Cancer, 2007-2016 2021 Aug;300(2):290-300. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2021204581. Epub 2021-05-18. PubMed

Wernli KJ, Tuzzio L, Brush S, Ehrlich K, Gao H, Anderson ML, Palazzo L Understanding Patient and Clinical Stakeholder Perspectives to Improve Adherence to Lung Cancer Screening 2021 Jun 2;25. doi: 10.7812/TPP/20.295. Epub 2021-06-02. PubMed

Miglioretti DL, Bissell MCS, Kerlikowske K, Buist DSM, Cummings SR, Henderson LM, Onega T, O'Meara ES, Rauscher GH, Sprague BL, Tosteson ANA, Wernli KJ, Lee JM, Lee CI Assessment of a Risk-Based Approach for Triaging Mammography Examinations During Periods of Reduced Capacity 2021 Mar;4(3):e211974. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.1974. Epub 2021-03-01. PubMed