Brocha Z. Stern, PhD, OTR

I am a licensed occupational therapist and health services researcher whose research applies an interdisciplinary lens to measuring and improving musculoskeletal care processes and outcomes at the intersection of orthopaedic surgery, rehabilitation, psychology, and health policy. My methodological interests span a broad spectrum of clinical and outcomes research, including observational designs, patient-centered outcomes research, mixed methods approaches, and implementation science. I have a particular interest in developing and evaluating care solutions across the continuum of musculoskeletal care for older adults with complex functional and psychosocial needs. I also look forward to advancing clinical applications of patient-reported outcome measures to support high-quality, person-centered, and equitable care.

#PROMs #VBHC #LearningHealthSystem #Ortho #PerioperativeCare #Biopsychosocial #RehabResearch #HandTherapy #OccupationalTherapy #HealthServices #MixedMethods #QualResearch #ImpSci

Shared interests? Idea for a collaboration? Looking for guidance on pursuing a research career as an occupational therapist? I look forward to hearing from you.

EMAIL | LINKEDIN | TWITTER

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Clinical and Outcomes Research in Orthopaedics – Institute for Health Care Delivery Science, Department of Population Health Science and Policy | Department of Orthopaedics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Health Services and Outcomes Research – Center for Education in Health Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
• PhD, Research in Occupational Therapy – Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University, New York, NY
• MOT, Occupational Therapy – Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
• BA, Psychology – Touro College, Brooklyn, NY

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Stern BZ, Zubizarreta N, Anthony SG, Gladstone JN, Poeran J. Variation in utilization of physical therapist and occupational therapist services after rotator cuff repair: a population-based study. Phys Ther. 2024 Feb 9:pzae015. doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzae015. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38335223. Link to Full Text
• Pila S, Stern BZ, Rothrock NE, Franklin PD. Evaluating a web-based personalized decision report for total knee or hip replacement: Lessons learned from patients. J Eval Clin Pract. 2023 Aug;29(5):844-853. doi: 10.1111/jep.13887. Epub 2023 Jun 14. PMID: 37316454. (#co-first authors)
• Stern BZ, Franklin PD, Shapiro LM, Chaudhary SB, Kamal RN, Poeran J. Equity-driven implementation of patient-reported outcome measures in musculoskeletal care: advancing value for all. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2023 May 3;105(9):726-735. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.22.01016. Epub 2023 Jan 9. PMID: 36728450.
• Stern BZ, Pila S, Joseph LI, Rothrock NE, Franklin PD. Patients’ perspectives on the benefits of feedback on patient-reported outcome measures in a web-based personalized decision report for hip and knee osteoarthritis. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2022 Aug 23;23(1):806. doi: 10.1186/s12891-022-05764-1. PMID: 35999585; PMCID: PMC9395772. Link to Full Text
• Stern BZ, Howe TH, Njelesani J. Self-efficacy for managing injury after distal radius fracture: a mixed methods exploration. OTJR (Thorofare N J). 2023 Apr;43(2):170-179. doi: 10.1177/15394492221086232. Epub 2022 Apr 15. PMID: 35426346.
• Stern BZ. Clinical potential of patient-reported outcome measures in occupational therapy. Am J Occup Ther. 2022 Mar 1;76(2):7602090010. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2022.049367. PMID: 35157753.
• Stern BZ, Howe TH, Njelesani J. “I didn’t know what I could do”: Behaviors, knowledge and beliefs, and social facilitation after distal radius fracture. J Hand Ther. 2023 Jan-Mar;36(1):148-157. doi: 10.1016/j.jht.2021.09.003. Epub 2021 Oct 28. PMID: 34756488.
• Stern BZ, Njelesani J, Howe TH. Transitioning from hurting to healing: self-management after distal radius fracture. Disabil Rehabil. 2022 Oct;44(21):6277-6286. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2021.1962990. Epub 2021 Aug 13. PMID: 34388959.
• Link to Full Publication List | Contact me for full texts

SELECTED SERVICE ACTIVITIES

• AcademyHealth, Surgical and Perioperative Care Interest Group Advisory Committee: Member-at-Large (2023-present)
• American Association for Hand Surgery, Research Committee: Member (2023-present)
• American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, Health Services Research Networking Group: Communications Officer (2021-present), Program Committee Liaison (2022-present)
• American Occupational Therapy Association, Rehabilitation and Disability Special Interest Section: Member (2019-2022), Chair (2022-present)
• American Society of Hand Therapists, Annual Meeting Committee: Member (2020-2021), Vice Chair (2022-2023), Chair (2023-present)
• PROMIS Health Organization, Education Committee: Member (2020-2022), Chair (2023-Present)

TEACHING & MENTORING EXPERIENCE

I have been the instructor of record for graduate courses at various occupational therapy programs, including New York University in New York, NY and Kean University in Union, NJ. Highlights of course content include orthotics and principles of clinical assessment. I also have experience guest lecturing in graduate programs as well as mentoring medical and graduate students in research skills.