Marlaine Figueroa Gray, PhD
“Listening to patient experiences of health, illness, and medical care is a privilege, and my most important work.”
Marlaine Figueroa Gray, PhD
Assistant Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
206-287-2620
Biography
Marlaine Figueroa Gray, PhD, is a medical anthropologist with a passion for eliciting illness narratives and health care experiences from patients, family members, and medical professionals. She has researched how the intersection of creative practices and medical care provide insight into understanding the logic of biomedical care, what counts as evidence that a creative activity "works," and how arts activities can serve as a model of how to provide better, more patient- and family-centered care. She is particularly interested in how we attend to patient suffering, and in what types of care are possible when no medical treatments are available.
Her previous work includes examining education policy in sub-Saharan Africa and developing curricula for health education, specifically HIV/AIDS education in Kenya and Mozambique.
Dr. Figueroa Gray has extensive experience designing qualitative studies and analyzing qualitative data. At Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI), she uses this expertise to examine how patients, family members, and physicians make medical decisions when outcomes are uncertain and stakes are high, such as deciding whether or not to participate in an immunotherapy trial, or choosing which treatments to pursue as an adolescent or young adult with advanced cancer. She founded the KPWHRI Qualitative Research Interest Group, which supports outstanding qualitative research at the institute.
RESEARCH INTERESTS AND EXPERIENCE
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Child & Adolescent Health
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Social Determinants of Health
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Complementary & Integrative Health
Implementation of alternative healing programs in U.S. hospitals; patient and provider experience of alternative healing programs
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Medical Education
Use of the arts in medical education; history of medical education; medical school curriculum development -
Cancer Care and End of Life Care
Oncology support and care; end of life decision making
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Integrative Medicine and Arts in Healing Programs
Participant experience; benefits; values and funding; legacy projects -
Patient-Centered Care
Shared decision making; care logics
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Global Health
HIV/AIDS education; maternal and child health; sub-Saharan Africa
Recent publications
Tuzzio L, Berry AL, Gleason K, Barrow J, Bayliss EA, Gray MF, Delate T, Bermet Z, Uratsu C, Grant RW, Ralston JD. Aligning care with the personal values of patients with complex care needs. Health Serv Res. 2021 Aug 6. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13862. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Henrikson NB, Blasi P, Figueroa Gray M, Tiffany BT, Scrol A, Ralston JD, Fullerton SM, Lim CY, Ewing J, Leppig KA. Patient and family preferences on health system-led direct contact for cascade screening. J Pers Med. 2021;11(6):538. doi: 10.3390/jpm11060538. PubMed
Gray SL, Elsisi Z, Phelan EA, Hanlon JT. Interventions to reduce fall-risk-increasing drug use to prevent falls: a narrative review of randomized trials. Drugs Aging. 2021 Feb 5. doi: 10.1007/s40266-021-00835-9. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Gray MF, Sweeney J, Nickel W, Minniti M, Coleman K, Johnson K, Mroz T, Forss B, Reid R, Frosch D, Hsu C. Function of the medical team quarterback: patient, family, and physician perspectives on team care coordination in patient- and family-centered primary care. Perm J. 2019; 23:18.147. doi: 10.7812/TPP/18.147. Epub 2019 Aug 26. PubMed
Hertel E, Cheadle A, Matthys J, Coleman K, Gray M, Robbins M, Tufte J, Hsu C. Engaging patients in primary care design: An evaluation of a novel approach to codesigning care. Health Expect. 2019 May 27. doi: 10.1111/hex.12909 [Epub ahead of print] PubMed
New findings
Using long-term data to understand a vulnerable population
Studies offer insights into the lives of older adults with dementia who lack family.
Healthy findings blog
Creating meaning in health care
Research by Marlaine Figueroa Gray, PhD, includes exploring the intersection of medicine and creativity.
VOICE STUDY
Understanding young adults’ experiences with cancer
The VOICE study aims to improve the health and health care of people who had cancer as adolescents and young adults.
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