Susan M. Frayne, MD, MPH

My work, recently sponsored by a VA HSR&D Advanced Research Career Development Award, examines the quality of primary care provided to patients with mental illness, particularly women with post-traumatic stress disorder secondary to sexual trauma. In a series of studies, my research program is first examining whether patients with mental illness receive lower quality medical care, then examining barriers that explain such disparities, and will then examine interventions and systems of care designed to optimize clinicians’ ability to deliver high-quality, integrated medical care to patients with comorbid medical and mental health conditions. Other areas of interest include the management of depression in the primary care setting; health sequelae of trauma in women; health care delivery to women veterans; and cross-cultural issues in health care.