Journal Article
Improving Diet Quality in U.S. Adults: A 30-Year Health and Economic Impact Microsimulation
Jul 12, 2022
Patricia M. Herman
Senior Behavioral and Social Scientist
Off Site Office
Education
Ph.D. in psychology and research methods, University of Arizona; N.D. in naturopathic medicine, Bastyr University; M.S. in agricultural economics, Iowa State University
Overview
Patricia Herman is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. Her research centers on health economics, innovative care models, and overall quality of life. Herman is an NCCIH-supported methodologist, resource economist, and licensed naturopathic doctor. For more than 40 years, Herman has conducted policy and cost-effectiveness analyses concerning water rights, waste recycling, energy and water conservation, and healthcare.
Her cost-effectiveness projects include: nonpharmacologic therapies for chronic low-back pain; yoga and mindfulness-based stress reduction for low-back pain; tailored navigation for colorectal cancer screening; drug treatment alternatives to prison; implementation support for evidence-based youth programs; and complementary therapies use in younger veterans with chronic pain.
Herman has written three books and taught more than 100 workshops on economic evaluation methods; published two systematic reviews of economic evaluations of complementary and integrative medicine; coauthored a commissioned paper on the economics of integrative medicine for the IOM's 2009 Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public, and was an invited speaker on that topic at the 2018 National Academies Workshop on the Role of Nonpharmacological Approaches to Pain Management. She is currently the co-director of the new RAND Center for Collaborative Research in Complementary and Integrative Health. Other projects include improving measurement of the impact of chronic pain, testing whether conjoint analysis improves behavioral health incorporation into primary care, and estimating the impacts of a statewide smoking ban.
Herman earned her N.D. in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University and her Ph.D. in psychology and research methods from the University of Arizona.
Research Focus
Selected Publications
Herman PM, Chen Y-A, Sturm R. , "Improving diet quality in US adults: 30-year health and economic impacts from microsimulation," American Journal of Preventive Medicine , 2022 (forthcoming)
Herman PM, Chinman M, Ebener P, Malone PS, Acosta J. , "Cost analysis of a randomized trial of Getting to Outcomes implementation support for a program offered in Boys and Girls Clubs in Alabama and Georgia to prevent teen pregnancy and promote adolescent sexual health ," Prevention Science, 21, 2020
Herman PM, Lavelle TA, Sorbero ME, Hurwitz EL, Coulter ID, "Are nonpharmacologic interventions for chronic low back pain more cost effective than usual care? Proof of concept results from a Markov model," Spine, 2019 (forthcoming)
Herman PM, Luoto JE, Kommareddi M, Sorbero ME, Coulter ID. , "Patient willingness to pay (WTP) for reductions in chronic low back pain and chronic neck pain," Journal of Pain , 20(11), 2019
Herman PM, Hurwitz EL, Shekelle PG, Whitley MD, Coulter ID, "Clinical Scenarios for which Spinal Mobilization and Manipulation Are Considered by an Expert Panel to be Inappropriate (and Appropriate) for Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain," Medical Care, 57(5), 2019
Herman PM, Broten N, Lavelle TA, Sorbero ME, Coulter ID, "Healthcare Costs and Opioid Use Associated with High-Impact Chronic Spinal Pain in the United States," Spine (forthcoming)
Herman PM, Anderson ML, Sherman KJ, Balderson BH, Turner JA, Cherkin DC, "Cost-Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Usual Care among Adults with Chronic Low-Back Pain," Spine, 42(20), 2017
Herman PM, Sorbero ME, Sims-Columbia AC, "Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Military Health System ," Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 23(11), 2017
