Degrees: Not posted yet

Bio:

Renee Pekmezaris is Vice President for Community Health and Health Services Research at North Shore-LIJ Health System, the 3rd largest not for profit secular health care system in the United States. She is responsible for conducting studies to improve quality of life for patients, in a range of clinical and health services research investigations, including community-based participatory research. With an emphasis on the growing population of seniors in the New York metropolitan area, Dr. Pekmezaris has extensive experience carrying out community-based research investigations with seniors, including: a randomized telehealth trial for patients living with congestive heart failure in the community, a case-matched control telehealth trial for community-dwelling patients living with congestive heart failure, a randomized trial in anemia of chronic disease, and a study to predict site of death in end of life patients. She is presently the principal investigator of a number of applied technology grants as well as a Verizon-supported long term telehealth study of the effects of remote patient management on hospitalization associated costs and quality of life. She has authored 26 peer review publications has served as a reviewer for PharmoEconomics, Medical Education, Journal for Healthcare Quality and Health Services Research.

Dr. Pekmezaris previously served as Research Fellow of the Institute for Medical Effectiveness Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM), and is an Associate Professor of Population Health at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine (HSOM). She currently chairs the Social Context Curriculum Development Committee and serves on several curriculum development committees at the HSOM. She also co-chairs the Master of Public Health Advisory Committee at Hofstra University.

Before joining North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, she was employed as Vice President for Research at Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care & Rehabilitation. Prior to that, she served the Long Island, New York community for six years as the Executive Director of the Nassau-Suffolk Health Systems Agency, the state-designated health planning and regulatory agency for Long Island.

SELECTED RECENT PUBLICATIONS, REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS

Pekmezaris, R., Aversa, L., Wolf-Klein, G., Cedarbaum, J., Reid-Durant, M.: The Cost of Chronic Constipation. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2002 Jul-Aug; 3(4):224-8.

Pekmezaris, R., Breuer, L., Zaballero, A., Wolf-Klein, G., Jadoon, E., D’Olimpio, J., Guzik, H., Foley, C., Weiner, J., Chan, S.: Predictors of Site of Death of End-of-Life Patients: The Importance of Specificity in Advance Directives. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 2004 Feb; 7(1):9-17.

Wolf-Klein, G., Pekmezaris, R., Weiner, J., Chin, L.: Conceptualizing Alzheimer's Disease as a Terminal Medical Illness. American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, 2007 Feb-Mar; 24(1):77-82.

Wallace, M.P., Weiner, J., Pekmezaris, R., Almendral, A., Cosiquien, R., Auerbach, C., Wolf-Klein, G.P.: Physician Cultural Sensitivity in African American Advance Care Planning: A Pilot Study. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 2007 Jun; 10(3):721-7.

George-Saintilus E, Tommasulo B., Cal CE, Hussain R., Mathew N, Dlugacz Y, Pekmezaris, R. Wolf-Klein, G. Pressure Ulcer PUSH Score and Traditional Nursing Assessment in Nursing Home Residents: Do They Correlate? Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2009 Feb;10(2):141-4. Epub 2009 Jan 8.

Lester, PE, Sykora, A, Wolf-Klein, GP, Pekmezaris, R, Auerbach, C, Feuerman Martin. Do Geriatricians Practice What they Preach? Geriatricians' Personal Establishment of Advance Directives, Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 2009; 30(1):61-74.

Chang Evelyn; Jacoby Sari; Wang Janice; Aghalar Jahan; Hussain Roshan; Pekmezaris Renee; Wolf-Klein Gisele P. Mandatory Cognitive Screening in Hospitalized Elderly People: Are We Missing the Diagnosis? Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2009; 57(4):746-7.

Nemat H, Khan R, Ashraf M, Matta S, Ahmed S, Edwards B, Hussain R, Lesser ML, Pekmezaris, R., Dlugacz, Y,. Wolf-Klein G.P.: Diagnostic Value of Repeated Enzyme Immunoassays in Clostridium Difficile Infection (CDI). American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2009 Aug; 104(8):2035-41.

Alano GJ, Pekmezaris R, Hussain MJ, Jeune J, Louis B, El-Kass G, Ashraf M, Reddy R, Tai JY, Lesser ML, Wolf-Klein GP: Factors Influencing Older Adults to Complete Advance Directives. Palliative and Supportive Care. 2010 Sep;8(3):267-75

Ashraf MS, Hussain SW, Agarwal N, Ashraf S, EL-Kass G, Hussain R, Nemat H, Haller R, Pekmezaris R, Sison C, Walia R, Cal C,. Edwards BT, Louis B, Alano G, Wolf-Klein GP Hand Hygiene in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Multicenter Study of knowledge, attitudes, Practices and Barriers. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. 2010 Jul; 31(7):758-62.

Pekmezaris R, Cooper L, Efferen L, Mastroangelo A, Silver A, Eichorn A, Walia R, Mir T, Liberman T, Weiner J, Steinberg H. .Transforming the Mortality Review Conference to Assess Palliative Care in the Acute Care Setting: A Feasibility Study. Palliative and Supportive Care. 2010 Dec;8(4):421-6. Epub 2010 Sep 28

Pekmezaris R, Walia R, Nouryan C, Katinas L, Zeitoun N, Alano G, Guzik H, Lester P, Wolf-Klein G, Steinberg H. The Impact of an End of life Communication Skills Intervention on Physicians-in-Training. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education 2011;32(2):152-63.

Lustbader D, Frankenthaler M, Smith F, Hussain E, Pekmezaris R, Walia R, Napolitano B, Lesser ML. Palliative Medicine Consultation Impacts DNR Designation and Length of Stay for Terminal Medical ICU Patients. Palliative and Supportive Care 2011 Dec; 9: 401-406.

Vo H, Guzik HJ, Pekmezaris R, Nouryan C, Patel C, Tai J, Wolf-Klein G. Knowledge and Attitudes of Health Care Workers Regarding MOLST (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) Implementation in Long-Term Care Facilities. Geriatric Nursing. 2011 Vol 32:58-62.

Digwood G, Lustbader D, Pekmezaris R, Lesser ML, Walia R, Frankenthaler M, Hussain E. The Impact of a Palliative Care Unit on Mortality Rate and Length of Stay for Medical Intensive Care Unit Patients. Palliative and Supportive Care 2011; Vol 9 (4): 387-392

Mattana J, Kerpen H, Lee C, Multz A, Pekmezaris R, Napolitano B, Walia R, Steinberg H. Assessing Internal Medicine Resident Clinical Experience in the Inpatient Setting: A Descriptive Study. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2011 Sep;6(7):395-400.

Wagner B, Meirowitz N, Shah J, Nanda D, Reggio L, Cohen P, Britt K, Kaufman L, Walia R, Bacote C, Lesser ML, Pekmezaris R, Fleischer A, Abrams KJ. Comprehensive Perinatal Safety Initiative to Reduce Adverse Obstetric Events. Journal for Healthcare Quality (2011; in press).

Sam S, Vij B, Chang-Kwok E, Silverman H, Nouryan C, Tan R, D'Amore JZ, Ward MF, Pekmezaris R, Guzik HJ, Lesser ML, Wolf-Klein GP. Knowledge, Experience, Attitude and Behavior of EMTs Toward Advance Directives. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2011 Dec; 59(12):2383-4.

Pekmezaris R, Nouryan C, Pecinka K, Swiderski J, Mitzner I, Lesser M, Siegel M, Moise G, Younker R, and Smolich K. The Impact of Remote Patient Monitoring (Telehealth) Upon Medicare Beneficiaries with Heart Failure. Telemedicine and e-Health (2012;18(2):101-108.

Walker P, Pekmezaris R, Lesser ML, Nouryan C, Rosinia F, Pratt K, Lavopa C. Validation of Clinical Outcomes Data for a Large Anesthesiology Database. American Journal of Medical Quality online 9 February 2012).

Uppal I, Ginsberg E, Pekmezaris R, Rosen L, Chawla M, Bangiyeva, N, Nouryan, CN, Wolf-Klein, GP. Dental Care and the Older Adult: A Survey of Physician Knowledge and Practices. Submitted to Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 1/26/2012. JAGS-0100-DOH-Jan-12.

Danto J, DiCapua J, Nardi D, Pekmezaris R, Moise G, Lesser M, and DiMarzio P. Multiple Cervical Levels: Increased Risk of Dysphagia and Dysphonia During Anterior Cervical Discectomy. Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology (in press).

Zaide G, Pekmezaris R, Nouryan C, Mir T, Sison C, Lesser M, Cooper L, Lieberman T, Wolf-Klein G. Ethnicity, Race and Advance Directives in an Inpatient Palliative Care Consult Service. Palliative and Supportive Care Published online: 06 July 2012.

Chaikin D, Pekmezaris R, Walia R, Vladeck F. Implementing and Disseminating a Falls Prevention Program in At-Risk Senior Citizens Living in a NORC. Geriatric Nursing (In press).

Lessen R, DiCapua J, Walia R, Pekmezaris R, Bocchieri K, Jahn L, Akerman M, Lesser ML, Hartman A. MDA Comparison of Two Cardioplegic Solutions: Dextrose versus Non-Dextrose in Adult Cardiac Surgery. Seminars in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia (In press).

Pekmezaris R, Kozikowski, A, Moise G, Clement PA, Hirsch J, Kraut J. Aging in Suburbia: An Assessment of Senior Needs. Educational Gerontology (in press).

ONGOING RESEARCH SUPPORT

Verizon Foundation 2011-present
North Shore-LIJ Verizon Telehealth Initiative
Post-Homecare Monitoring for Community-Dwelling Congestive Heart Failure Patients
Role: Principal Investigator

New York State Community Capital 2011-present
Assistance Program Grant
Equipment grant to support community-based research targeting remote patient management of community-dwelling older adults living with chronic disease
Role: Principal Investigator

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 2010-present
Comprehensive Geriatric Education
Program CFDA No. 93.411
Equipment grant to enhance training for geriatric health professionals
Role: Co-Principal Investigator

Cardinal Health Foundation 2008-present
Patient Safety Grant Program: National Clinical Outcomes
Information System in Anesthesiology
Role: Co-Investigator

COMPLETED RESEARCH SUPPORT

The New York Community Trust 2007-2010
Communicating with the Aging Patient: Advance Care
Planning Matched Control Skills Study for Physicians in Training
Role: Principal Investigator

The Fan Fox Leslie R. Samuels Foundation 2007-2009
Assessing the Impact of Telemedicine on Congestive
Heart Failure Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Role: Principal Investigator

New York State Department of Health 2006-2008
Assessing the Impact of Telemedicine on Congestive Heart Failure Patients: A Randomized Control Trial
Role: Principal Investigator

Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 2005
Grant for Excellence in Medical Education
A single-blind, randomized/controlled educational intervention targeting geriatric rotation medical students from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine to enhance comfort with and knowledge of advance care planning discussions, resulting in fewer transfers in the last few days/hours of life.
Role: Co-Investigator

Institute for Advanced Studies in Aging and Geriatric 2001
Medicine and the National Geriatrics Research Consortium, Washington, DC
Clinical trial to investigate the role of recombinant human erythropoietin in anemia of chronic disease in the elderly.
Role: Co-Investigator