Irena Boyce, PhD

Professional Experience

Professor of Public Health Sciences,

Dept. of Public Health Science, School of Medicine, Rochester, NY. 8/2023 - Current

Chief Improvement Officer,

University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY. 2023 - Current

Associate Vice President,

University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY. 2023 - Current

Professor of Clinical Nursing,

University of Rochester School of Nursing, Rochester, NY. 8/2023 - Current

Senior Director of the UR Medicine Quality Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center,

University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, US. 2020 - Current

Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing,

University of Rochester School of Nursing, Rochester, NY, US. 2014 - Current

Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences (Secondary Appointment),

Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY, US. 2014 - Current

Senior Director of Population Health Management Informatics and Payment Innovation,

University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, US. 4/2015 - 7/2020

Director,

Center for Population Health Outcomes and Informatics, University of Rochester School of Nursing, Rochester, NY, US. 2014 - 4/2015

Director of Outcomes and Evaluation Sciences, Corporate Wellness,

University of Rochester School of Nursing, Rochester, NY, US. 2013 - 2015

Assistant Professor (Secondary Appointment),

Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY, US. 2007 - 2014

Assistant Professor,

University of Rochester (School of Nursing), Rochester, NY, US. 2007 - 2014

Assistant Professor and Co-Investigator,,

Upstate Health Research, Syracuse, NY, US. 2009 - 2013

Distinguished Lecturer,

College of Nursing, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, US. 2010 - 2010

International Visiting Scholar,

Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem, IL. 2010 - 2010

Director, Quality Improvement Research and Measurement,

Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield of Greater Rochester Area, Rochester, NY, US. 2007 - 2009

International Visiting Scholar,

Department of Health Systems Management, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, IL. 2008 - 2008

Medical Operations Research Project Manager,

Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield of the Greater Rochester Area, Rochester, NY, US. 2004 - 2007

Co-instructor,

University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (Mathematics for Economists), Rochester, NY, US. 2002 - 2005

Visiting Instructor,

Ben Gurion University of the Negev Medical School, Beer-Sheva, IL. 2004 - 2004

Health Services Research Fellow,

Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield of the Greater Rochester Area, Rocheste, NY, US. 2003 - 2004

Research Internship,

The agency for Healthcare Research and quality (AHRQ), Rockville, MD, US. 2002 - 2002

Project Manager,

Clalit Health Services, Israel, IL. 1998 - 2001

Course commander and head instructor, Military School of Intelligence,

Israel Defense Forces (IDF), IL. 1993 - 1995

Awards

Board of Excellence Award - University of Rochester

Finger Lakes COVID-19 Vaccine Hub, 2022

Gold Award for Team Excellence - Finger Lakes COVID-19 Vaccine Hub at URMC

Greater Rochester Quality Council Performance Excellence Award, 2022

Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching

University of Rochester School of Nursing, 2014

The Dr. Jeremy A. Klainer Entrepreneurship Fund Award

University of Rochester School of Nursing, 2014

Promising New Investigator Award

University of Rochester, School of Nursing, 2013

Supporting Providers in Comparative Effectiveness Fellowship (SPICE)

University of Rochester Medical Center, 2012

Health Services Research Fellowship

Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield of Greater Rochester Area, 2003

Research Internship

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), 2002

Excellence in Academic Studies

Israeli Parliament, 1998

Presentations

Assessing the Equity of COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in the Presence of Missing Demographic Data

American Public Health Association Conference, American Public Health Association, 2022

Boston, Massachusetts

A team-based approach to opioid safety

International College of Psychosomatic Medicine 26th World Congress, International College of Psychosomatic Medicine, 2022

Rochester, New York

Differences in Outcomes Between Men and Women Enrolled in Chronic Disease Programs for Diabetes, Hypertension and Hyperlipidemia

Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association Annual Meeting, Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association, 2021

Boston, Massachusetts

Reducing Cardiovascular Disease Risk for Employees through a Comprehensive Wellness Program

American Public Health Association, American Public Health Association, 2019

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Beat Goes on: The Comprehensive Wellness Program that Reduces Cardiovascular Disease Risk for Employees

National Wellness Conference, 2019

Kissimee, Florida

There are Two Sides to Every Story: How CMS’ Bundled Payments Program Can Affect How We Provide Patient Care?

Conference on Population Health Hospital Innovations for Medicaid, Medicare and Duals, 2019

Washington, District Of Columbia

Bundles Payments for Care Improvement – Affecting Cost and Quality of Care Through Medicare Policy

American Public Health Association Conference, American Public Health Association, 2018

San Diego, California

Operationalize Your Analytics to Deliver Actionable Insights and Advanced Value-Based Care

Annual Population Health Analytics Summit, 2018

Boston, Massachusetts

Effective Methods to Drive Higher Engagement to Disease Management Programs: Tried and True

National Wellness Conference, 2018

St. Paul, Minnesota

“The Importance of Population Health Analytics in Value-Based Care"

82nd Annual Conference, New York Health Information Management Association, 2017

Rochester, New York

“Apply Population Health to Advanced Payment Models”

2nd Annual Population Health Analytics Summit, World Health Congress, 2017

Nashville, Tennessee

“The Importance of Population Health Analytics in Value-Based Care"

Public Health Grand Rounds, University of Rochester Medical Center, 2017

Rochester, New York

“Vendor-Neutral Population Health with Epic and External Data”

EPIC UGM meeting, EPIC, 2016

Verona, Wisconsin

“Assuming Risk to Achieve ROI Amid Evolving Payment Models”

American Hospital Association Leadership Summit, American Hospital Association, 2016

San Diego, California

“Achieving ROI When Transitioning to Value-Based Care”

Further Meeting, Valence Health, 2015

Chicago, Illinois

Opioid Prescribing in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain and Depression: Analysis of a Nationwide Sample from the United States

World Congress on Pain, 2014

Buenos Aires, Argentina

What Can Predict Enrollment in Health Promoting Activities of Complex Condition Management?

Eastern Nursing Research Society, 2014

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Impact of Smoking on Probability and Amount of Opioids Prescribed for Low Back Pain

Eastern Nursing Research Society, 2014

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

“The ACA and ACOs: Where are We in 2014?”

Preceptor Workshop, University of Rochester School of Nursing, 2014

Rochester, New York

How Can We Stop Those Rising Health Care Costs? Examining the Potential Impact of Independent Billing by Nurse Practitioners

Eastern Nursing Research Society, 2013

Boston, Massachusetts

Nurse practitioners' independent billing and economic implications for the healthcare system

American Public Health Association, 2012

San Francisco, California

Potential Healthcare System Cost-savings Through Independent Billing by Nurse Practitioners

Annual Research Meeting, AcademyHealth, 2012

Orlando, Florida

“Research Potential of FairHealth data”

AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, AcademyHealth, 2012

Orlando, Florida

Negotiated Reimbursement Rates for Cardiac Artery Bypass Surger - Does Quality Matter?

Annual Research Meeting, American Public Health Association, 2011

Washington, District Of Columbia

Cost-Effectiveness of an Intensive Tobacco-Dependence Intervention Based on Self-Determination Theory: An Analysis from the Third-Party Payer's Perspective

Annual Research Meeting, American Public Health Association, 2011

Washington, District Of Columbia

Premium Pay for Premium Quality? Examining the Association between Quality of Care information in the NYS Cardiac Surgery Reports and Negotiated Prices with Insurance Plans

iHEA 8th World Congress in Health Economics, 2011

Toronto, Canada

Peer-Led Team Learning in Nursing Graduate-Level Health Economics Course

International Conference on Teaching and Learning, 2011

Niagara Falls, New York

Heart Failure Management in Nursing Homes: Results from a Pilot Study

Annual Research Meeting, American Public Health Association, 2010

Denver, Colorado

What Can Be Improved at the End of Life? Economic Evaluation of Palliative Care Services

Distinguished Lectures Series, College of Nursing, USF Health, 2010

Tampa, Florida

Care Patterns for Nursing Home Residents with Heart Failure

State of the Science Congress on Nursing Research, 2010

Washington, District Of Columbia

Healthcare Reform New York Style: Changing Reimbursement Rates for Out-of-Network Services

International Visiting Scholar, Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, 2010

Jerusalem, Israel

Resident-Care Activities for Heart Failure Management in Nursing Homes as Reported by Directors of Nursing: Results from a Pilot Study

AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, 2010

Boston, Massachusetts

What Can be Saved at the End of Life? A Cost Analysis of Palliative Care

Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting, 2008

Washington, District Of Columbia

Economic Evaluation of Palliative Care at the End of Life

American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, 2008

San Diego, California

Is Palliative Care at the End of Life Cost Saving?

AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, 2008

Washington, District Of Columbia

Consumers' Choice of Nursing Home In The U.S. - Does Quality Matter?

International Visiting Scholar presentation, Department of Health Systems Management, Faculty of Sciences, Ben Gurion University, 2008

Beer-Sheva, Israel

The Impact of Quality of Care on Nursing Home Choice---Comprehensive Assessment of California, New-York, Ohio, and Texas

Annual Scientific Meeting, Gerontological Society of America, 2007

San-Francisco, California

Role of Educational Materials in Increasing Cervical Cancer Screening Adherence Rates---Evidence from Randomized Controlled Trial in NYS Insured Women

Annual meeting, American Public Health Association, 2007

Washington, District Of Columbia

Does Quality of Care Matter in Choosing a Nursing Home? Evidence from California

Annual meeting, American Public Health Association, 2007

Washington, District Of Columbia

Cervical Cancer Screening Test: Can Educational Materials Increase Adherence Rates?

Annual Research Meeting, Academy Health, 2007

Orlando, Florida

Why Are Nursing Homes' Quality Report Cards Important? Evidence from CA, OH, NY and TX

Annual Research Meeting, Academy Health, 2007

Orlando, Florida

"Improving the Quality of Diabetes Management with Pay for Performance Incentive Program"

Annual Meeting, American Public Health Association, 2006

Boston, Massachusetts

"Does Competition Matter? The Role of competition in Promoting Community Wide Interventions to Reduce Obesity"

Annual Meeting, American Public Health Association, 2006

Boston, Massachusetts

"Pay for Performance-The Impact on Patient Quality of Care in a Community Setting"

Annual Research Meeting, Academy Health, 2006

Seattle, Washington

"Nursing Home Choice-Does Quality Matter? - Research Proposal"

Trainees Research Conference, NRSA, 2003

Nashville, Tennessee

Publications

• Russ, S.; Bramley, J.; Liu, Y.; Boyce, I. (2023). Bolstering the Measurement of Racial Inequity of COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake. Vaccines, 11 (4), 876. DOI: 10.3390/ vaccines11040876
  
  
• Fortuna RJ, Clark JS, Johnson WE, Bajorska A, Solan LG, Pesis-Katz I, Stetzer A, Judge SR. (2021). Association Between Physician Risk Assessment, Hierarchical Condition Categories, and Utilization of Medical Services. Population Health Management. PMID: 32423301 DOI: 10.1089/pop.2019.0236
  
  
• Pesis-Katz I, Norsen L, Singh R. (2020). Employee Wellness Programs. JAMA Intern Med, 181 (2). DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.5748
  
  
• Pesis-Katz I, Smith JA, Norsen L, DeVoe J, Singh R. (2019). Reducing Cardiovascular Disease Risk for Employees through a Nurse-Driven Comprehensive Wellness Program. Population Health Management. PMID: 31513466 DOI: 10.1089/pop.2019.0106
  
  
• Smith, J.A., Fuino, R.L., Pesis-Katz, I., Cai, X., Powers, B., Frazer, M., Markman, J.D. (2017). Differences in opiod prescribing in low back pain patients with and without depression: A cross-sectional study of national sample from the United States. PAIN Reports, Latest Articles. PMID: 29392221 PMCID: PMC5741361 DOI: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000000606
  
  
• Pesis-Katz I, Smith JA, Cai X, and Tuttle J (2013). How Can We Stop Those Rising Health Care Costs? Examining the Potential Impact of Independent Billing by Nurse Practitioners. Nursing Research, 62 (2), e27.
  
  
• Quinn, J.R., Pesis-Katz, I. & Mukamel, D.B. (2013). Variations in patterns of care activities for nursing home residents with heart failure.. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 6, 29-35.. PMID: 23244568 DOI: 10.3928/19404921-20121204-02
  
  
• Pesis-Katz I, Phelps CE, Temkin-Greener H, Spector WD, Veazie P, and Mukamel DB (2013). Making Difficult Decisions: The Role of Quality of Care in Choosing a Nursing Home. American Journal of Public Health, 103 (5), e31-37. PMID: 23488519 PMCID: PMC3670650 DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301243
  
  
• Pesis-Katz I, Rains A, Smith JA, as part of the Upstate Health Research Network (2012). Final Recommendations for Anesthesia Benchmark Rates for Out-of-Network Services. FAIR Health, NY.
  
  
• Rhee, H., Pesis-Katz, I., Xing, J. (2012). Cost benefits of a peer-led asthma self-management program for adolescents. Journal of Asthma, 49 (6), 606-613. PMID: 2275899
  
  
• White P, Rowland A, and Pesis-Katz I (2012). Introduction of the Peer-Led Team Learning Model in a Graduate-Level Nursing Course. Journal of Nursing Education, 51 (8), 417-475.
  
  
• Pesis-Katz, I., Williams, G.C., Niemiec, C.P., & Fiscella, K. (2011). Cost-Effectiveness of Intensive Tobacco Dependence Intervention Based on Self-Determination Theory.. The American Journal of Managed Care, 17 (10), e383-388.
  
  
• Kunitz SJ and Pesis-Katz I. (2005). "Mortality of White Americans, African Americans, and Canadians: The Causes and Consequences for Health of Welfare State Institutions and Policies". The Milbank Quarterly, 83 (1), 5-39.
  
  
• Horev T, Pesis-Katz I, Mukamel DB (2004). "Trends in Geographic Disparities in Allocation of Health Care Resource in the US". Health Policy, 68 (2), 223-232.
  
  
• Spector WD, Cohen JW, Pesis-Katz I (2004). "Home Care Before and After the Balanced Budget Act of 1997: Shifts in Financing and Services". The Gerontologist, 44 (1), 39-47.