Dr. Liana Fraenkel

Biography

Dr. Fraenkel’s research interests lie in applying scientifically rigorous approaches to understand and improve patient-physician decision making. Her efforts have resulted in a series of papers describing the use of value conjoint analysis to ascertain patient treatment preferences across a range of sociodemographic groups and diseases, as well as the customization of an original software program to enhance patient engagement. Notably, she has demonstrated that rheumatoid arthritis patient preferences for aggressive treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs vary by race, with Black patients showing a preference for more aggressive treatment compared to White patients with similar disease severity. This work has significant clinical implications, helping to explain disparities in the utilization of newer and riskier medications among minority patients. Additionally, Dr. Fraenkel has developed decision support tools based on Fuzzy Trace theory for patients facing decisions involving medications with significant toxicity risks.

Research Interests