Skip to Main Content

Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH

Professor Adjunct
DownloadHi-Res Photo

About

Titles

Professor Adjunct

Biography

Dr. Fraenkel’s research interests lie in applying scientifically rigorous approaches to better understand and improve both patient and physician decision making. Her efforts have resulted in a series of papers describing the use and value of conjoint analysis to ascertain patient treatment preferences across a range of sociodemographic groups and diseases, and customization of the original software program to improve use with patients. Dr. Fraenkel’s work has also led to new insights into decision making which have important clinical implications. For example, using conjoint analysis, she has demonstrated that rheumatoid arthritis patient preferences for more aggressive treatment with disease modifying antirheumatic drugs differ by race, with Black patients preferring less aggressive treatment compared to White patients with similar disease severity. These results may help explain the disparity in utilization of newer riskier drugs in minority patients. Dr. Fraenkel has also developed decision support tools, based on Fuzzy Trace theory, for patients facing decision involving medications with significant risks of toxicity.

Fraenkel L, Matzko CK,Webb DE, Oppermann B, Charpentier P, Peters E, Reyna V, Newman ED. Use of decision support for improved knowledge, values clarification, and informed choice in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Care Res 2015;67:1496-1502.

Fraenkel L, Peters, E, Tyra S, Oelberg D. Shared medical decision making in lung cancer screening: Experienced versus descriptive risk formats. Med Decis Making 2016;36:518-25.

Jiang C, Fraenkel L. The Influence of Varying Cost Formats on Decision Making. Med Decis Making 2017;37:17-26.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Fellow
Boston University (1998)
MPH
Boston University (1997)
MD
McGill University (1990)
BS
McGill University (1986)

Research

Overview

I am currently using interactive computer tools to quantify the trade-offs that patients make when faced with multiple
alternatives and to predict treatment choices. My long-term goal is to develop innovative approaches to improve
decision making to ensure that patients are well–informed of available alternatives and to help providers effectively
communicate complex medical information to their patients in a manageable way.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Decision Making; Decision Making, Computer-Assisted; Epidemiology; Patient Preference; Rheumatology; Veterans

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Liana Fraenkel's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

2018

2017

2012

2010

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • honor

    ACR Henry Kunkel Young Investigator Award

Get In Touch

Contacts

Academic Office Number

Locations

  • VA Connecticut Healthcare

    Academic Office

    950 Campbell Avenue

    West Haven, CT 06516