James Ralston MD, MPH, is an internal medicine physician and senior investigator in health services and health informatics. His research mission is improving the health and care of patients living with common ongoing illnesses. His current areas of emphasis include understanding and honoring the priorities of patients living with multiple chronic conditions.
Dr. Ralston’s research focuses on developing and evaluating communication technologies that foster continuous care and a closer connection between patients and primary care teams. His commitment to finding effective ways to redesign care spans all stages of research, from project development to complete translation of results into clinical practice.
Examples of Dr. Ralston’s research projects include:
Dr. Ralston is also a University of Washington affiliate professor in health services and biomedical informatics, where he serves on the committees of PhD and master’s degree students.
eHealth; hypertension; diabetes
Health informatics; hypertension; diabetes; health behaviors; multiple chronic conditions
Self-management support
Health care disparities
Weppner WG, Ralston JD, Koepsell TD, Grothaus LC, Reid RJ, Jordan L, Larson EB. Use of a shared medical record with secure messaging by older patients with diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2010 Nov;33(11):2314-9. Epub 2010 Aug 25. PubMed
Delbanco T, Walker J, Darer JD, Elmore JG, Feldman HJ, Leveille SG, Ralston JD, Ross SE, Vodicka E, Weber VD. Open notes: doctors and patients signing on. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153(2):121-5. PubMed
Ralston JD, Coleman K, Reid RJ, Handley MR, Larson EB. Patient experience should be part of meaningful-use criteria. Health Aff (Millwood). 2010;29(4):607-13. PubMed
Ralston JD, Martin DP, Anderson ML, Fishman PA, Conrad DA, Larson EB, Grembowski D. Group Health Cooperative's transformation toward patient-centered access. Med Care Res Rev. 2009;66(6):703-24. Epub 2009 Jun 23. PubMed
Harris LT, Haneuse SJ, Martin DP, Ralston JD. Diabetes quality of care and outpatient utilization associated with electronic patient-provider messaging: a cross-sectional analysis. Diabetes Care. 2009;32(7):1182-7. Epub 2009 Apr 14. PubMed
McCarrier KP, Ralston JD, Hirsch IB, Lewis G, Martin DP, Zimmerman FJ, Goldberg HI. Web-based collaborative care for type 1 diabetes: a pilot randomized trial. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2009;11(4):211-7. PubMed
Moreno MA, Ralston JD, Grossman DC. Adolescent access to online health services: perils and promise. J Adolesc Health. 2009;44(3):244-51. Epub 2008 Nov 11. PubMed
Ralston JD, Rutter CM, Carrell D, Hecht J, Rubanowice D, Simon GE. Patient use of secure electronic messaging within a shared medical record: a cross-sectional study. J Gen Intern Med. 2009;24(3):349-55. Epub 2009 Jan 10. PubMed
Ralston JD, Hirsch IB, Hoath J, Mullen M, Allen C, Goldberg HI. Web-based collaborative care for type 2 diabetes: a pilot randomized trial. Diabetes Care. 2009 Feb;32(2):234-9. Epub 2008 Nov 18. PubMed
Grembowski D, Anderson ML, Conrad DA, Fishman PA, Larson EB, Martin DP, Ralston JD, Carrell D, Hecht J. Evaluation of the Group Health Cooperative Access Initiative: study design challenges in estimating the impact of a large-scale organizational transformation. Qual Manag Health Care. 2008;17(4):292-303. PubMed
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