James D. Ralston, MD, MPH

Biography

James Ralston MD, MPH, is an internal medicine physician and senior investigator in health services and health informatics. His research mission is improving the health and care of patients living with common ongoing illnesses. His current areas of emphasis include understanding and honoring the priorities of patients living with multiple chronic conditions.

Dr. Ralston’s research focuses on developing and evaluating communication technologies that foster continuous care and a closer connection between patients and primary care teams. His commitment to finding effective ways to redesign care spans all stages of research, from project development to complete translation of results into clinical practice.

Examples of Dr. Ralston’s research projects include:

The Valuing Important Things in Active Lives (VITAL) study to improve care for people with multiple chronic conditions including diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis. VITAL uses participatory design methods with patients and providers to design and evaluate interactive care plans.
The Seeing Priorities study to build and test a single, trusted tool for individuals with multiple chronic conditions that illuminates connections between personal values and chronic illness management. The tool helps visualize, track, and share what matters most for self-management and care.
Understanding and addressing differences in patient use of online health care services that could lead to care disparities.
Testing online care management of blood sugar control using an electronic health record shared with patients with type 2 diabetes. Control improved in patients receiving online care management in addition to usual care.
Validating and evaluating a clinical tool to identify patients with type 2 diabetes at risk of severe low blood sugar. This national collaboration uses Kaiser Permanente and Veterans Administration electronic health record data and machine learning methods.
Testing innovative engagement methods such as photos taken by study participants to document their values to ensure that patient priorities guide self-management plans and clinical care.
Working with primary care teams and clinics in rural and underserved areas to improve the care of their patients with chronic conditions.

Dr. Ralston is also a University of Washington affiliate professor in health services and biomedical informatics, where he serves on the committees of PhD and master’s degree students.

Research interests and experience

Health Informatics

eHealth; hypertension; diabetes
Chronic Illness Management

Health informatics; hypertension; diabetes; health behaviors; multiple chronic conditions
Behavior Change

Self-management support
Health Services & Economics

Health care disparities

Recent publications

McCloskey JK, Ellis JL, Uratsu CS, Drace ML, Ralston JD, Bayliss EA, Grant RW Accounting for Social Risk Does not Eliminate Race/Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19 Infection Among Insured Adults: a Cohort Study 2022 Apr;37(5):1183-1190. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-07261-y. Epub 2022-02-02. PubMed

Patel HV, Henrikson NB, Ralston JD, Leppig K, Scrol A, Jarvik GP, DeVange S, Larson EB, Hartzler AL Implementation matters: How patient experiences differ when genetic counseling accompanies the return of genetic variants of uncertain significance 2022 Feb 21;2021:950-958. Epub 2022-02-21. PubMed

Schuttner L, Hockett Sherlock S, Simons C, Ralston JD, Rosland AM, Nelson K, Lee JR, Sayre G Factors affecting primary care physician decision-making for patients with complex multimorbidity: a qualitative interview study 2022 Feb 5;23(1):25. doi: 10.1186/s12875-022-01633-x. Epub 2022-02-05. PubMed

Ralston JD, Yu O, Penfold RB, Gundersen G, Ramaprasan A, Schartz EM Changes in Clinician Attitudes Toward Sharing Visit Notes: Surveys Pre-and Post-Implementation 2021 Nov;36(11):3330-3336. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-06729-1. Epub 2021-04-22. PubMed

Tchesnokova V, Kulasekara H, Larson L, Bowers V, Rechkina E, Kisiela D, Sledneva Y, Choudhury D, Maslova I, Deng K, Kutumbaka K, Geng H, Fowler C, Greene D, Ralston J, Samadpour M, Sokurenko E Acquisition of the L452R mutation in the ACE2-binding interface of Spike protein triggers recent massive expansion of SARS-CoV-2 variants 2021 Oct 19;59(11):e0092121. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00921-21. Epub 2021-08-11. PubMed

Tuzzio L, Berry AL, Gleason K, Barrow J, Bayliss EA, Gray MF, Delate T, Bermet Z, Uratsu CS, Grant RW, Ralston JD Aligning care with the personal values of patients with complex care needs 2021 Oct;56 Suppl 1:1037-1044. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13862. Epub 2021-08-06. PubMed

Venner, Eric, Yi, Victoria, Murdock, David, Kalla, Sara E, Wu, Tsung-Jung, Sabo, Aniko, Li, Shoudong, Meng, Qingchang, Tian, Xia, Murugan, Mullai, Cohen, Michelle, Kovar, Christie, Wei, Wei-Qi, Chung, Wendy K, Weng, Chunhua, Wiesner, Georgia L, Jarvik, Gail P, Muzny, Donna, Gibbs, Richard A, Abrams, Debra, Adunyah, Samuel E, Albertson-Junkans, Ladia, Almoguera, Berta, Ames, Darren C, Appelbaum, Paul, Aronson, Samuel, Aufox, Sharon, Babb, Lawrence J, Balasubramanian, Adithya, Bangash, Hana, Basford, Melissa, Bastarache, Lisa, Baxter, Samantha, Behr, Meckenzie, Benoit, Barbara, Bhoj, Elizabeth, Bielinski, Suzette J, Bland, Sarah T, Blout, Carrie, Borthwick, Kenneth, Bottinger, Erwin P, Bowser, Mark, Brand, Harrison, Brilliant, Murray, Brodeur, Wendy, Caraballo, Pedro, Carrell, David, Carroll, Andrew, Castillo, Lisa, Castro, Victor, Chandanavelli, Gauthami, Chiang, Theodore, Chisholm, Rex L, Christensen, Kurt D, Chung, Wendy, Chute, Christopher G, City, Brittany, Cobb, Beth L, Connolly, John J, Crane, Paul, Crew, Katherine, Crosslin, David R, Dayal, Jyoti, De Andrade, Mariza, De la Cruz, Jessica, Denny, Josh C, Denson, Shawn, DeSmet, Tim, Dikilitas, Ozan, Dinsmore, Michael J, Dodge, Sheila, Dunlea, Phil, Edwards, Todd L, Eng, Christine M, Fasel, David, Fedotov, Alex, Feng, Qiping, Fleharty, Mark, Foster, Andrea, Freimuth, Robert, Friedrich, Christopher, Fullerton, Stephanie M, Funke, Birgit, Gabriel, Stacey, Gainer, Vivian, Gharavi, Ali, Gibbs, Richard A, Glazer, Andrew M, Glessner, Joseph T, Goehringer, Jessica, Gordon, Adam S, Graham, Chet, Green, Robert C, Gundelach, Justin H, Hain, Heather S, Hakonarson, Hakon, Harden, Maegan V, Harley, John, Harr, Margaret, Hartzler, Andrea, Hayes, M Geoffrey, Hebbring, Scott, Henrikson, Nora, Hershey, Andrew, Hoell, Christin, Holm, Ingrid, Howell, Kayla M, Hripcsak, George, Hu, Jianhong, Hynes, Elizabeth Duffy, Jarvik, Gail P, Jayaseelan, Joy C, Jiang, Yunyun, Joo, Yoonjung Yoonie, Jose, Sheethal, Josyula, Navya Shilpa, Justice, Anne E, Kalra, Divya, Karlson, Elizabeth W, Keating, Brendan J, Kelly, Melissa A, Kenny, Eimear E, Key, Dustin, Kiryluk, Krzysztof, Kitchner, Terrie, Klanderman, Barbara, Klee, Eric, Kochan, David C, Korchina, Viktoriya, Kottyan, Leah, Kudalkar, Emily, Rahm, Alanna Kulchak, Kullo, Iftikhar J, Lammers, Philip, Larson, Eric B, Lebo, Matthew S, Leduc, Magalie, Lee, Ming Ta, Lennon, Niall J, Leppig, Kathleen A, Leslie, Nancy D, Li, Rongling, Liang, Wayne H, Lin, Chiao-Feng, Linder, Jodell E, Lindor, Noralane M, Lingren, Todd, Linneman, James G, Liu, Cong, Liu, Wen, Liu, Xiuping, Lynch, John, Lyon, Hayley, Macbeth, Alyssa, Mahadeshwar, Harshad, Mahanta, Lisa, Malin, Bradley, Manolio, Teri, Marasa, Maddalena, Marsolo, Keith, McGowan, Michelle L, McNally, Elizabeth, Meldrim, Jim, Mentch, Frank, Rasouly, Hila Milo, Mosley, Jonathan, Mukherjee, Shubhabrata, Mullen, Thomas E, Muniz, Jesse, Murdock, David R, Murphy, Shawn, Murugan, Mullai, Muzny, Donna, Myers, Melanie F, Namjou, Bahram, Ni, Yizhao, Onofrio, Robert C, Obeng, Aniwaa Owusu, Person, Thomas N, Peterson, Josh F, Petukhova, Lynn, Pisieczko, Cassandra J, Pratap, Siddharth, Prows, Cynthia A, Puckelwartz, Megan J, Raj, Ritika, Ralston, James D, Ramaprasan, Arvind, Ramirez, Andrea, Rasmussen, Luke, Rasmussen-Torvik, Laura, Raychaudhuri, Soumya, Rehm, Heidi L, Ritchie, Marylyn D, Rives, Catherine, Riza, Beenish, Roden, Dan M, Rosenthal, Elisabeth A, Santani, Avni, Dan, Schaid, Scherer, Steven, Scott, Stuart, Scrol, Aaron, Sengupta, Soumitra, Shang, Ning, Sharma, Himanshu, Sharp, Richard R, Singh, Rajbir, Sleiman, Patrick M A, Slowik, Kara, Smith, Joshua C, Smith, Maureen E, Smoot, Duane T, Smoller, Jordan W, Sohn, Sunghwan, Stanaway, Ian B, Starren, Justin, Stroud, Mary, Su, Jessica, Taylor, Casey Overby, Tolwinski, Kasia, Van Driest, Sara L, Vargas, Sean M, Varugheese, Matthew, Veenstra, David, Venner, Eric, Verbitsky, Miguel, Vicente, Gina, Wagner, Michael, Walker, Kimberly, Walunas, Theresa, Wang, Liwen, Wang, Qiaoyan, Wei, Wei-Qi, Weiss, Scott T, Wells, Quinn S, Weng, Chunhua, White, Peter S, Wiesner, Georgia L, Wiley, Ken L, Williams, Janet L, Williams, Marc S, Wilson, Michael W, Witkowski, Leora, Woods, Laura Allison, Woolf, Betty, Wynn, Julia, Yang, Yaping, Zhang, Ge, Zhang, Lan, Zouk, Hana Neptune an environment for the delivery of genomic medicine 2021 Oct;23(10):1838-46. doi: doi.org/10.1038/s41436-021-01230-w. Epub 2021-07-13. PubMed

Berry AB, Lim CY, Liang CA, Hartzler AL, Hirsch T, Ferguson DM, Bermet ZA, Ralston JD Supporting collaborative reflection on personal values and health 2021 Oct;5(CSCW2):1-39. doi: 10.1145/3476040. Epub 2021-10-18. 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 2021 Jun 10;11(6). doi: 10.3390/jpm11060538. Epub 2021-06-10. PubMed

Henrikson NB, Scrol A, Leppig KA, Ralston JD, Larson EB, Jarvik GP Preferences of biobank participants for receiving actionable genomic test results: results of a recontacting study 2021 Jun;23(6):1163-1166. doi: 10.1038/s41436-021-01111-2. Epub 2021-02-18. PubMed