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Emily O'Brien CV

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

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 160 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 Initiatives & Academic Support Units

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


Cardiovascular Epidemiology: From Findings to Impact.

Journal Article Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes · June 2025 Full text Link to item Cite

Incidence and prevalence of dementia among US Medicare beneficiaries, 2015-21: population based study.

Journal Article BMJ · May 20, 2025 OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and prevalence of dementia in a nationally representative cohort of US Medicare beneficiaries, stratified by important subgroups. DESIGN: Population based study. SETTING: Nationwide study between 2015 and 2021. PARTICI ... Full text Link to item Cite

Burnout in modern-day health care: Where are we, and how can we markedly reduce it? A meta-narrative review from the EUREKA* project.

Journal Article Health Care Manage Rev · April 2025 BACKGROUND: Burnout is disrupting the health care workforce, threatening the livelihoods of health care workers and the probability of safe and effective patient care. PURPOSES: The aims of this study were to describe the evolution and gaps in burnout rese ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


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

Evaluating the Implementation of High Intensity Home-Based Rehabilitation Following Stroke

ResearchCo-Mentor · Awarded by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality · 2024 - 2027

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Education, Training & Certifications


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