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Emily O'Brien

Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences
Population Health Sciences
215 Morris Street, Suite 210, Durham, NC 27701

Overview


Dr. Emily O’Brien is Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences, Associate Professor in Neurology, Core Faculty Member at Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy,  and Co-Director of Population Health Sciences at the Duke Clinical Research Institute. Her research focuses on comparative effectiveness, patient-centered outcomes, and pragmatic health systems research in cardiovascular and pulmonary disease. Her areas of expertise include: Epidemiology, Pragmatic Clinical Trials, and Clinical Decision Sciences. Dr. O’Brien received her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. As principal investigator for projects funded by the FDA, NIH, and PCORI, she has extensive experience working with diverse data sources including registries, epidemiologic cohorts, electronic health records, and administrative claims data. Dr. O’Brien teaches Analytic Methods in the Department of Population Health Sciences PhD program and has co-authored over 200 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals on topics ranging from epidemiologic methods, comparative effectiveness, and pragmatic clinical trials. She is an associate editor for Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, Chair of the AHA QCOR Scientific & Clinical Education Lifelong Learning Committee, social media editor for the Journal of the American Heart Association, and a fellow of the American Heart Association.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2021 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments
Associate Professor in Neurology · 2020 - Present Neurology, Clinical Science Departments
Membership in the Duke Clinical Research Institute · 2013 - Present Duke Clinical Research Institute, Institutes and Centers
Core Faculty Member, Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy · 2024 - Present Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy, University Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published April 13, 2020
Health Care Workers Encouraged to Join COVID-19 Clinical Trial Registry
Published May 3, 2018
Minor bleeding not tied to risk of major bleeding in AF patients
Published November 16, 2016
Many With Common Atrial Fibrillation Unaware of Stroke Risk

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Recent Publications


Medicare coverage gap status, adherence to oral anticoagulation, and stroke rates in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Journal Article Am Heart J · January 2026 BACKGROUND: Prior to 2025, Medicare Part D included a coverage gap during which beneficiaries were responsible for substantially higher portions of medication costs. The impact of this on oral anticoagulant (OAC) prescription fills and subsequent stroke in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Public Health.

Journal Article Alzheimers Dement · December 2025 BACKGROUND: Anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies (lecanemab and donanemab) received full approval by the FDA to treat early Alzheimer's disease and entered routine clinical practice in July 2023 and July 2024 respectively. Uptake patterns and post-approval s ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Unified Program for Therapeutics in Children

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030

PCORnet Governance, Collaboration, and Operations to Facilitate PCORnet(R) Studies of National Scope

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute · 2025 - 2028

NIH Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory-Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2017 - 2028

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 2012 Ph.D.