Onchee Yu, MS

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"At KPWHRI, I apply statistical methods to studies ranging from women’s health to pharmacoepidemiology to vaccine safety and effectiveness, in an effort to improve health care for patients.”

Onchee Yu, MS

Principal Collaborative Biostatistician, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute

Onchee.Yu@kp.org
206-287-2389

Biography

Onchee Yu, MS, is a biostatistician who has contributed her extensive experience in statistical applications to electronic health records (EHR) data to studies related to women’s health, pharmacoepidemiology, and vaccine safety and effectiveness. Ms. Yu has been a key member of Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute’s (KPWHRI) immunization research program for 20 years. Her work focuses on applying statistical methods to evaluate vaccine effectiveness, side effects, and safety. In collaboration with KPWHRI biostatisticians Jennifer Nelson, PhD, and Andrea Cook, PhD, Ms. Yu developed and improved statistical methods for monitoring the safety of postmarketing vaccines in the Vaccine Safety Datalink project.

Much of Ms. Yu's recent research is in pharmacoepidemiology, which is studying how drugs are used in a population and their impact on public health. She is an expert in statistical analysis in a complex, clinically important area—determining if taking medicine for one condition (for example, cardiovascular medications) affects risk of other illnesses (for example, cancer outcomes).

Ms. Yu also contributes to women’s health. Using extensive EHR data and in collaboration with University of Washington clinician and KPWHRI affiliate researcher Susan D. Reed, MD, MPH, Ms. Yu has estimated incidences and prevalences, validated diagnosis codes, and developed automated case-finding algorithms for women’s health conditions including uterine fibroids, adenomyosis and endometriosis.  

Ms. Yu obtained her MS in biostatistics from the University of Washington in 1999. She is a member of the American Statistical Association and the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology. Her statistical methodological expertise includes classification and regression tree analysis, and survival analysis.

Research interests and experience

  • Biostatistics

    Survival analysis; classification and regression tree analysis

  • Cancer

    Biostatistics; medication use and cancer outcomes

  • Vaccines & Infectious Diseases

    Biostatistics; vaccine safety and efficacy; postmarketing vaccine safety study design and analysis

    Women's Health

    Biostatistics; incidence and prevalence estimations; validation of diagnosis codes; automated case-finding algorithms

  • Medication Use & Patient Safety

    Biostatistics; medication use and cancer outcomes; postmarketing drug and vaccine safety study design and analysis; safety signal detection methods

Recent publications

Gray SL, Walker RL, Dublin S, Yu O, Bowles EJA, Anderson ML, Crane PK, Larson EB. Proton pump inhibitor use and dementia risk: prospective population-based study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2017 Nov 14. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15073. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed

Boudreau DM, Yu O, Balasubramanian A, Wirtz H, Grauer A, Crittenden DB, Scholes D. A survey of women's awareness of and reasons for lack of postfracture osteoporotic care. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2017 Apr 19. doi: 10.1111/jgs.14921. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed

Dublin S, Walker RL, Gray S, Hubbard RA, Anderson ML, Yu O, Montine TJ, Crane PK, Sonnen JA, Larson EB. Use of analgesics (opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and dementia related neuropathology in a community-based autopsy cohort. J Alzheimers Dis. 2017;58(2):435-448. doi: 10.3233/JAD-160374. PubMed

Calip GS, Yu O, Elmore JG, Boudreau DM. Comparative safety of diabetes medications and risk of incident invasive breast cancer: a population-based cohort study.  Cancer Causes Control. 2016;27(5):709-20. doi: 10.1007/s10552-016-0744-3. Epub 2016 Apr 6.  PubMed

Aiello Bowles EJ, Larson EB, Pong RP, Walker RL, Anderson ML, Yu O, Gray SL, Crane PK, Dublin S. Anesthesia exposure and risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: a prospective study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2016 Feb 11. doi: 10.1111/jgs.14024. [Epub ahead of print].

 

Research

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Increasing opioid use disorder treatment in primary care

A trial led by KPWHRI researchers found that adding nurse care managers helped more people get needed treatment.

Research

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New numbers could help diagnose and treat a common, complex condition

Researchers gain better understanding of polycystic ovary syndrome's impact in U.S.

aging & geriatrics

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Do drugs cause falls for adults with dementia?

Researchers find a relationship between prescribed central nervous system-active medications and increased risk of falling among older people with dementia.