The Association of Pneumonia-Related Financial Toxicity with Subsequent Outcomes

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Candidate’s Long-Term Career Goal: By pursuing the training plan in this F32 proposal, Dr. James W. Womer will learn key skills in clinical epidemiology and health services research, while writing a K23 award and ultimately becoming an independent physician-scientist designing predictive tools and interventions to help identify and assist patients at risk for impaired recovery from respiratory illness. Clinical Problem to be Addressed: Financial toxicity affects patients suffering from a variety of acute and chronic conditions, and is associated with worse clinical outcomes. The prevalence and risks associated with financial toxicity in pneumonia are not known but are likely significant. Candidate Background: Dr. Womer is a fellow in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins. He received his MD from Temple University. To date he has published 8 original peer-reviewed manuscripts, one as first author. He will be presenting his current work at the American Thoracic Society 2023 meeting. His department has a strong commitment to his academic career, including placing him on a T32 grant and funding a year-long training program in clinical investigation. Career Development Plan: In order to achieve these goals, he proposes to develop expertise in statistics through a combination of mentored learning, investigative research work, and formal coursework to obtain a Master of Health Science (MHS) degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Mentors: His primary mentor is Dr. Theodore J. Iwashyna at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who has served as the primary mentor on 8 K-awards (5 of whom have transitioned to R01), including 5 individual K awards, and as co-mentor on another 5. His co-mentor is Dr. Michelle Eakin, who has several NIH grants and won awards for her mentorship of many fellows and junior faculty. Aims: Using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 1: to test whether new onset financial toxicity due to pneumonia is associated with increased subsequent need for acute care; 2: to test whether new onset financial toxicity due to pneumonia increases the risk of later disability. Deliverables from Aims: His proposed Aims will lead to 3-4 publications with semiannual presentations at institutional conferences and yearly presentations at national conferences. This proposal will constitute the foundational work for a future K23 application to build a predictive model of which patients will suffer financial toxicity and test the efficacy of possible interventions.