Summaries of Independent Scientist (K) Awards

Devoe, Jennifer

Institution: Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU)
Grant Title: Does Parental Health Insurance Loss Affect Children's Access to Care?
Grant Number: K08 HS16181
Duration: 5 years (2006-2011)
Total Award: $664,000

Project Description:

1. Explore the potential barriers to children's health insurance and access to health care with the use of cross-sectional secondary analysis of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), and primary collection and analysis of the Oregon Children's Access to Healthcare Study. 
2. Conduct a longitudinal analysis of data from three survey waves of the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) Prospective Cohort Study to determine how parental loss of health insurance is associated with changes in children's health insurance status over time.

Career Goals: Dr. Devoe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University.  Prior to this appointment, she was a National Research Service Award (NRSA) Postdoctoral Fellow Research Instructor in the Department of Family Medicine.  She received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School and served her residency in Family medicine at OHSU.  Dr. Devoe received her D.Phil. from Oxford University in Comparative Health Policy.  She would like to become an established independent investigator in health services research translating knowledge to inform decisions about future innovations in health insurance policy aimed at improving access and health outcomes.

Progress to Date: Dr. Devoe is analyzing data from the Oregon Children's Access to Healthcare Study and has created new variables for descriptive and multivariable analyses.  Her work received national attention during the SState Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization debates.  The grantee has had six abstracts at national meetings and three published manuscripts.  The final wave of the Oregon Health Plan Cohort Study was completed and the data are being cleaned.

Future Plans: Further studies will be conducted using the data from Aim #1.  Dr. Devoe is using MEPS to develop a manuscript for publication.  A survey is being developed to follow families who disenrolled from OHP.

Highlights and Specific Accomplishments:

• North American Primary Care Research Group Board, National Fellow Representative.
• American Academy of Family Physicians Resident Scholar, 2003.

K-Generated Publications:

Devoe J, Baez A, Angier H, et al. Insurance plus access does not equal healthcare: A typology of barriers to healthcare access for low-income families. Annals of Family Medicine 2007. 5(6):511-18.

Devoe J, Krois L, Edlund C, et al. Uninsured but eligible children: Are their parents insured? Recent findings from Oregon. Medical Care 2008. 46(1):3-8.

Devoe J, Krois L, Edlund T, et al. Uninsurance among children whose parents are losing Medicaid coverage: Results from a statewide survey of Oregon families. Health Services Research 2008. 43:401-18.

Devoe J, Graham A, Krois L, et al. Mind the gap in children's health care coverage: Does the length of a child's coverage gap matter? Ambulatory Pediatrics 2008. 8(2)129-34.

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