Professional Activity

Dr. Blank is responsible for evaluating the Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Einstein and Montefiore, and works with other clinical and translational research centers nationwide to examine the country's progress in moving basic science developments to the bedside. Dr. Blank is also involved with national efforts at NIH to develop metrics to ascertain the value of the work being conducted by the 64 medical schools who have received translational science awards from the National Center to Advance Translational Science (NIH/NCATS).

Interests

1. Community Health: Using secondary and clinical data to understand and document the distribution of illnesses in the Bronx and NYC.
2. Palliative & End of Life Care: Understanding the costs and benefits of palliative care & end of life interventions, and the reduction in suffering that may result in bringing palliative care & end of life services to patients.
3. Translational Science: Documenting how and when basic science results can be translated into clinical practice
4. Team Science & Collaboration: Documenting how teams are formed and can be used to enhance science , research and clinical practice
5. Social Networks: documenting how social networks influence health and illnesses

Expertise

1. Use of large data sets
2. Evaluation and health services research
3. Survey design
4. Design of research studies using non-randomized designs
5. Quantitative analysis

Active Projects:

1. National Evaluation of 10 HIV programs across the country seeking to improve care for women of color
2. Community health and primary care-examining how primary care interventions can improve community health
3. Evaluation of new educational efforts at Einstein and Montefiore to enhance the skills of clinical researchers
4. Evaluation of the CMO Behavioral Health Intervention
5. Evaluation of HHC Innovation grant to reduce ED usage
6. National effort to evaluate the 61 medical schools who received Clinical and Translational Science Awards

Recent Publications (selected)

1. Blank AE, Fletcher J, Verdecias N, Garcia I, Blackstock O, Cunningham C. Factors associated with retention and viral suppression among a cohort of HIV+ women of color. AIDS, Patient Care, and STDS.
2. Blackstock O, Blank AE, Fletcher J, Verdecias N, Cunningham C. Considering care-seeking behaviors reveals important differences among HIV-positive women not engaged in care: implications for intervention. AIDS, Patient Care, and STDS.
3. Eastwood EA, Fletcher J, Quinlivan EB, Verdecias N, Birnbaum JM, Blank AE. Baseline Social Characteristics and Barriers to Care from SPNS Women of Color with HIV Study: A Comparison of Urban and Rural Women and Barriers to HIV Care. AIDS, Patient Care, and STDS.
4. Lounsbury D, Schwartz B, Palmer A, Blank AE. Simulating Patterns of Patient Engagement, Treatment Adherence, and Viral Suppression: A System Dynamics Approach to Evaluating HIV Care Management. AIDS, Patient Care, and STDS.