Robert Becher, MD, MS, FACS
Associate Professor of Surgery (General, Trauma & Surgical Critical Care)Cards
About
Research
Publications
2026
Days at Home After Serious Health Events Among Community‐Living Older Persons
Gill T, Leo‐Summers L, Gahbauer E, Becher R, Ferrante L, Han L. Days at Home After Serious Health Events Among Community‐Living Older Persons. Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society 2026 PMID: 41807297, PMCID: PMC12981336, DOI: 10.1111/jgs.70376.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchHealth eventsOlder personsCommunity-living older personsCommunity-living personsCritical illnessFunctional well-beingHealth care facilitiesPatient-centered outcomesHospice facilityNursing facilitiesProspective longitudinal studyCare facilitiesMedicare dataHospital dischargeMajor surgeryReference groupWell-beingLongitudinal studyElective major surgeryHospitalIllnessAbsolute reductionHomeHealthMean daysBenchmarking weighted estimates of social determinants of Health in the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS)
Gill T, Leo-Summers L, Liang J, Becher R, Kind A, Zang E. Benchmarking weighted estimates of social determinants of Health in the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). The Journals Of Gerontology Series A 2026, 81: glag037. PMID: 41692958, PMCID: PMC12928736, DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glag037.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2025
Longitudinal Associations of Homeownership Status with Mortality and Geriatric Outcomes in Older Americans
Wang Y, Paredes L, Gill T, Becher R. Longitudinal Associations of Homeownership Status with Mortality and Geriatric Outcomes in Older Americans. Innovation In Aging 2025, 9: igaf122.394. PMCID: PMC12759717, DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igaf122.394.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchIncidence of frailtyHomeownership statusGeriatric outcomesSocial determinantsAssociated with poor self-rated healthNational Health and Aging Trends StudyNon-homeownersOlder AmericansPoor self-rated healthLongitudinal associationsSocial determinants of healthHazard ratioStudy of Medicare beneficiariesTime-varying Cox proportional hazards modelsSelf-rated healthDeterminants of healthConfidence intervalsFollow-up periodUnderrecognized risk factorCox proportional hazards modelsNon-homeownershipProportional hazards modelAssociated with mortalityTrends StudyGeriatric conditionsThe unrecognized burden of patient-level social determinants of health on health outcomes following traumatic injury
Mathew P, Sznol J, Ullrich S, Becher R, Davis K, Schuster K. The unrecognized burden of patient-level social determinants of health on health outcomes following traumatic injury. Injury 2025, 57: 112882. PMID: 41224618, DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2025.112882.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSocial determinants of healthDeterminants of healthLength of staySocial determinantsSocial work evaluationFinancial concernsUrban academic level 1 trauma centerAssociated with major complicationsMotor vehicle collisionsLevel 1 trauma centerRelationship to patient outcomeEarly identificationAcademic level 1 trauma centerPost-operative outcomesEcological fallacyInterview dataPatient-level dataSocial barriersHealth outcomesWork evaluationAlcohol useUnrecognized burdenPatient levelPredictor of negative outcomesAdmission dataObtaining population-based estimates for survey data using Bayesian hierarchical models with poststratification
Zhang Y, Gill T, Bandeen-Roche K, Becher R, Davis-Plourde K, Zang E. Obtaining population-based estimates for survey data using Bayesian hierarchical models with poststratification. American Journal Of Epidemiology 2025, 195: 816-823. PMID: 40977048, PMCID: PMC12679711, DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwaf209.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNational Health and Aging Trends StudyPopulation-based estimatesEstimates of frailtyBayesian estimationBayesian hierarchical modelPrevalence estimatesSample weightSample sizeBayesian approachLarge-scale surveyHierarchical modelSurvey dataTrends StudyBayesian modelEstimationPoststratificationCohortFrailtyCombined cohortLosses to Follow‐Up in a Nationally Representative Study of Community‐Living Older Americans: Two Approaches to Censoring and Implications for Mortality Outcomes
Gill T, Liang J, Becher R, Davis‐Plourde K. Losses to Follow‐Up in a Nationally Representative Study of Community‐Living Older Americans: Two Approaches to Censoring and Implications for Mortality Outcomes. Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society 2025, 74: 186-192. PMID: 40928486, PMCID: PMC12833708, DOI: 10.1111/jgs.70093.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNational Health and Aging Trends StudyNationally Representative StudyMedicare dataIncomplete ascertainmentIncidence rate ratiosAscertainment of mortalityAll-Cause MortalityTrends StudyOlder AmericansRate ratiosMortality outcomesMedicareParticipantsCohortInterviewsMortalitySensitive filesNondecedentsPotential trade-offsCorrigendum to “Novel indices of state- and county-level social disadvantage in older Americans and disparities in mortality” [Health Place 92 (2025) 103438]
Wang Y, Zang E, Davis-Plourde K, Gill T, Becher R. Corrigendum to “Novel indices of state- and county-level social disadvantage in older Americans and disparities in mortality” [Health Place 92 (2025) 103438]. Health & Place 2025, 95: 103486. PMID: 40683782, DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2025.103486.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchIncidence of Frailty, Dementia, and Disability Among Community‐Living Older Americans According to County‐Level Disadvantage
Wang Y, Zang E, Davis‐Plourde K, Vander Wyk B, Gill T, Becher R. Incidence of Frailty, Dementia, and Disability Among Community‐Living Older Americans According to County‐Level Disadvantage. Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society 2025, 73: 1847-1856. PMID: 40196885, PMCID: PMC12213133, DOI: 10.1111/jgs.19465.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNational Health and Aging Trends StudyActivities of daily living disabilityActivities of daily livingIncidence of frailtySocial determinants of healthOlder personsOlder AmericansContextual disadvantageAge- and sex-adjusted HRDisadvantaged countiesDeterminants of healthSex-adjusted HRNationally representative longitudinal studyRepresentative longitudinal studyCommunity-livingDaily livingClinically Meaningful OutcomesTrends StudyGeriatric conditionsNo prior studiesNational incidenceIncidence rateDementiaFrailtyCounty-levelCritical Illness, Major Surgery, and Other Hospitalizations and Active and Disabled Life Expectancy
Gill T, Zang E, Leo-Summers L, Gahbauer E, Becher R, Ferrante L, Han L. Critical Illness, Major Surgery, and Other Hospitalizations and Active and Disabled Life Expectancy. JAMA Network Open 2025, 8: e254208. PMID: 40178853, PMCID: PMC11969285, DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.4208.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsActive life expectancyDisabled life expectancyCommunity-living older personsActivities of daily livingFunctional well-beingOlder personsLife expectancyDaily livingEssential activities of daily livingEstimates of active life expectancySurgical admissionsCommunity-living personsCritical illnessMultistate life tablesElective surgical admissionsWell-being of older personsProspective cohort studyMain OutcomesCohort studyWell-beingIllnessLife tablesAge incrementElective surgical proceduresHospitalNovel indices of state- and county-level social disadvantage in older Americans and disparities in mortality
Wang Y, Zang E, Davis-Plourde K, Gill T, Becher R. Novel indices of state- and county-level social disadvantage in older Americans and disparities in mortality. Health & Place 2025, 92: 103438. PMID: 40058245, PMCID: PMC12142587, DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2025.103438.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsIncreased mortality riskContextual disadvantageOlder personsOlder AmericansCommunity-living older personsSocial disadvantageMortality riskIndices of social disadvantageReduce health disparitiesPopulation of older AmericansCounty-levelPublic health policiesNon-disadvantaged groupsMortality disparitiesHealth disparitiesHealth policyMortality existUnited StatesDisadvantaged countiesNegative binomial modelGeriatric populationComposite indexDisparitiesDisadvantaged statesMultidimensional factors
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
Clinical Care
Overview
Robert Becher, MD, is a general surgeon specializing in trauma and surgical critical care. He diagnoses and treats conditions that require urgent surgical intervention, such as traumatic injuries and critical illnesses.
Dr. Becher provides a range of treatments, including minimally invasive surgery and colorectal surgery, to manage these complex conditions. His expertise in surgical critical care ensures comprehensive care for patients with life-threatening conditions.
As an associate professor of surgery at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Becher's research centers on improving surgical outcomes for older adults, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. He investigates the factors that contribute to worse outcomes following major surgery in these populations, aiming to enhance recovery and reduce complications.
"From a patient perspective, the most important outcome among older persons with multiple conditions is maintaining independence and function. And we know that being readmitted to the hospital after major surgery can negatively impact that independence and function," Dr. Becher says.
Dr. Becher received his medical training from the Brown-Dartmouth Medical Program. He completed his residency in general surgery and an internship at Wake Forest University Medical Center, followed by fellowships in acute care surgery and surgical critical care at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Clinical Specialties
Fact Sheets
Brain Injury
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Yale Medicine News
News
News
- May 09, 2025
Geographic Location Affects Health Risks in Older Adults
- April 03, 2025
Identifying Factors Associated With Diminished Active Life Expectancy Among Older Adults
- December 12, 2024
Evaluating the Association Between Neighborhood Disadvantage and Mortality
- April 03, 2024
Understanding the Risks of Surgery in Older Adults
Get In Touch
Contacts
General Surgery, Trauma & Surgical Critical Care
330 Cedar Street, PO Box 208062
New Haven, CT 06520-8062
United States
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