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Janet Prvu Bettger

Adjunct Associate in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Orthopaedic Surgery
311 Trent Drive, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


Dr. Bettger’s research is dedicated to establishing real world evidence aimed to improve health care quality and policies that reduce the burden of disease and disability. As a health services researcher and implementation scientist, her research extends from observational studies to randomized and pragmatic trials. She was the Founding Director of Duke Roybal Center for Translational Research in the Behavioral and Social Sciences of Aging and the Founding Director of Undergraduate Initiatives for the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. She has examined implementation of several integrated care models to improve the transition home from the hospital (VERITAS with virtual exercise therapy after knee replacement, COMPASS for stroke, RECOVER for stroke in rural China, and coordinated care for trauma patients in Tanzania). She also studies implementation of community-based models of care that can prevent functional decline. These include the CTSA-funded IMPAC RCT of integrating physical therapists into primary care as first line providers to address musculoskeletal pain, the VA-funded Gerofit program of structured and progressive in-person and virtual group exercise for older Veterans, MRC-funded SINEMA RCT of a village-based model supporting stroke recovery in China, and a NIDCD study comparing three primary care protocols for older adult hearing healthcare.

In addition to the evidence translation studies in China (RECOVER and SINEMA) and Tanzania, she has partnered with experts in Singapore on stroke systems research, and worked on large cluster randomized trials to improve evidence-based care in Brazil, Peru, Argentina (BRIDGE-Stroke) and China (CNSR and Golden Bridge). To address health locally, she was the faculty sponsor to launch Exercise is Medicine at Duke and Help Desk, a student volunteer community resource navigator model addressing social determinants of health.

Dr. Bettger received her BA from the University of Western Ontario, Canada and her MS from the University of Wisconsin–LaCrosse where she studied community reintegration for stroke and brain-injured patients transitioning from hospital to home. Her doctoral training in Rehabilitation Sciences, completed at Boston University, concluded with an investigation of patterns of functional recovery and factors affecting outcomes in patients transitioning home following acute rehabilitation. While working on her doctorate, she also worked in state government as the director of the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry. Dr. Bettger completed post-doctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania with a NIH NRSA research fellowship in neurorehabilitation, a research fellowship at the NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health, and a Switzer Fellowship funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research to study the role of the environment on functional outcomes. She completed additional research training at Duke as a mentored scholar in comparative effectiveness research funded by AHRQ. As of July 2022, she is an Adjunct Associate Professor for Duke's Department of Orthopaedics and has transitioned out of her role as Co-Director of the Duke Clinical and Translational Institute (CTSA) Pilots Accelerator Core working with NCCU. She is affiliate faculty with Duke's Science and Society, Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) and Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI), is a Senior Fellow of the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, and is a Fellow of the American Heart Association. 

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Adjunct Associate in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery · 2022 - Present Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments
Affiliate, Duke Global Health Institute · 2014 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers
Core Faculty Member, Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy · 2019 - Present Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2020 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News


Published September 30, 2019
Bass Connections Students Honor Mentor Janet Bettger for Innovative Approaches in Population Health
Published May 4, 2016
Walking Speed Could Be a New Indicator of Health
Published May 4, 2016
Janet Bettger on Walking Pace -- The Sixth Vital Sign

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Recent Publications


Application of Systematic Assessment of Rehabilitation Situation (STARS) Framework for Stroke Rehabilitation in the United States of America

Journal Article Current Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Reports · December 1, 2025 Purpose of Review: The World Health Organization (WHO) Systematic Assessment of Rehabilitation Situation (STARS) tool was developed to facilitate strategic planning and prioritization of rehabilitation as part of a larger effort to guide countries on bette ... Full text Cite

Long-term mortality outcome of a primary care-based mobile health intervention for stroke management: Six-year follow-up of a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Journal Article PLoS Med · March 2025 BACKGROUND: Despite growing evidence of primary care-based interventions for chronic disease management in resource-limited settings, long-term post-trial effects remain inconclusive. We investigated the association of a 12-month system-integrated technolo ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Evaluation of Unilateral vs Bilateral Hearing Aids for the Treatment of Age-related Hearing Loss

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute · 2021 - 2026

Duke CTSA (TL1) Year 5

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2024

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Education, Training & Certifications


Boston University · 2006 D.Sc.