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Semra Ozdemir

Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences
Population Health Sciences

Overview


Dr. Ozdemir is an Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Duke University and is affiliated with Duke Clinical Research Institute. She also holds a joint appointment at the Signature Programme in Health Services and Systems Research at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. Dr. Ozdemir’s research focuses on three areas of medical decision making: 1) assessing individuals’ preferences and values for healthcare services and products, 2) understanding the medical decision-making process among patients, their family caregivers, and clinicians, and 3) developing decision aids or tools to help individuals make better-informed medical decisions. She uses survey methods, cohort studies, and implementation science principles to conduct research in these areas.

Dr. Ozdemir is an expert in stated-preference methods and shared decision-making tools. Dr. Ozdemir led a large team of health communication and decision science experts and clinicians in the development of an educational and preference-based decision aid for older patients with end-stage kidney disease who are considering dialysis or kidney supportive care. She is an Associate Editor for Value in Health and has served on the editorial boards for Medical Decision Making and Applied Health Economics and Health Policy. She is also the co-chair of the Shared Decision Making Special Interest Group for the Society for Medical Decision Making.

Dr. Ozdemir loves running, paddling, traveling, and cheering for her sons in their soccer games and bike races.

Areas of expertise: Medical decision making, shared decision making, health preference assessment, stated-preference methods, decision aid research.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2023 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments
Member in the Duke Clinical Research Institute · 2023 - Present Duke Clinical Research Institute, Institutes and Centers
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2025 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers

Recent Publications


An Overview of Data Collection in Health Preference Research.

Journal Article Patient · July 2025 This paper focuses on survey administration and data collection methods employed for stated-preference studies in health applications. First, it describes different types of survey administration methods, encompassing web-based surveys, face-to-face (in-pe ... Full text Link to item Cite

"Wish to Die" Among Patients With Advanced Cancer: Does Institutional Quality of Care Matter?

Journal Article J Pain Symptom Manage · May 28, 2025 CONTEXT: Provision of quality care may diminish expression of wish to die (WTD), but this relationship has not been empirically assessed. OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between institutional quality of care and expression of WTD among patients with ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Proposed Universal "Home Time" Quality of Life Measure for Older Adults.

Journal Article J Am Geriatr Soc · May 7, 2025 BACKGROUND: Researchers and insurers use "home time," or an individual's time at home compared to time in different health care settings, as a population-level quality of life (QoL) or quality of care measure. With varying definitions, it is unknown which ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Harnessing the Power of Benefit-Transfer Methods for Informed Regulatory Decision-Making: A Case Study on Diabetes Medical Devices

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Food and Drug Administration · 2024 - 2028

FDA - BAA Clinical Evidence on the impact of osseointegrated limb prostheses

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Food and Drug Administration · 2023 - 2026

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 2013 Ph.D.