Biography

    Dr. Parker is an educator and researcher, and currently serves as Faculty Director of the MPH program in Health Policy & Management.  She has also been affiliated with the Center for Organization Leadership and Management Research at the Boston VA Healthcare system. Her current research concerns the characteristics of a new role in cancer care, that of patient navigation.  She was the principal investigator of a study that examines the design of nursing care jobs and its effect on worker motivation, satisfaction and care quality. She also was a co-investigator on a comprehensive evaluation of the women veterans health program, which seeks to determine the current variation in women’s health care delivery models system-wide and to assess the experiences of women veterans receiving VHA health care. She was also co-investigator on a VA evaluation of three all-inclusive long-term care pilot programs to compare their effectiveness in reducing the use of hospital and nursing home care by frail elderly veterans. In addition, she is involved in ongoing private-sector consultation projects and teaches organizational behavior, human resource management, and managerial skills for problem solving. She received her DBA from the Boston University Graduate School of Management, concentrating in organizational behavior, and previously earned an EdM at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Courses Taught in Other Semesters
Stories
Publications
    1. Rivard PE, Parker VA, Rosen AK. Quality improvement for patient safety: project-level versus program-level learning. Health Care Manage Rev. 2013 Jan-Mar; 38(1):40-50.
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    2. Oates DJ, Kornetsky D, Winter MR, Silliman RA, Caruso LB, Sharbaugh ME, Hardt EJ, Parker VA. Minimizing geriatric rehospitalizations: a successful model. Am J Med Qual. 2013 Jan; 28(1):8-15.
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    3. Niederhauser A, VanDeusen Lukas C, Parker V, Ayello EA, Zulkowski K, Berlowitz D. Comprehensive programs for preventing pressure ulcers: a review of the literature. Adv Skin Wound Care. 2012 Apr; 25(4):167-88; quiz 189-90.
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    4. Suen W, Parker VA, Harney L, Nevin S, Jansen J, Alexander L, Berlowitz D. Internal medicine interns' and residents' pressure ulcer prevention and assessment attitudes and abilities: results of an exploratory study ?. Ostomy Wound Manage. 2012 Apr; 58(4):28-35.
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    5. Parker VA, Lemak CH. Navigating patient navigation: crossing health services research and clinical boundaries. Adv Health Care Manag. 2011; 11:149-83.
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    6. Warner G., R. Lyons, V. Parker and S. Phillips. Advancing Coordinated Care in Four Provincial Healthcare Systems: Evaluating a Knowledge-Exchange Intervention. Healthcare Policy. 2011; 1(7):80-94.
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    7. Parker VA. Condition critical: intervening in health-care teams and working relationships: a commentary. Adv Health Care Manag. 2011; 10:267-8.
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    8. Tyler, D.A. & Parker, VA. Nursing home culture, teamwork, and culture change. Journal of Research in Nursing. 2011; 1(16):37-49.
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    9. Sandel M, Hansen M, Kahn R, Lawton E, Paul E, Parker V, Morton S, Zuckerman B. Medical-legal partnerships: transforming primary care by addressing the legal needs of vulnerable populations. Health Aff (Millwood). 2010 Sep; 29(9):1697-705.
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    10. Tyler DA, Parker VA. Staff teamwork in long-term care facilities. Res Gerontol Nurs. 2011 Apr; 4(2):135-46.
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    11. VanDeusen Lukas C, Engle RL, Holmes SK, Parker VA, Petzel RA, Nealon Seibert M, Shwartz M, Sullivan JL. Strengthening organizations to implement evidence-based clinical practices. Health Care Manage Rev. 2010 Jul-Sep; 35(3):235-45.
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    12. Kistin CJ, Tien I, Bauchner H, Parker V, Leventhal JM. Factors that influence the effectiveness of child protection teams. Pediatrics. 2010 Jul; 126(1):94-100.
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    13. Parker VA, Clark JA, Leyson J, Calhoun E, Carroll JK, Freund KM, Battaglia TA. Patient navigation: development of a protocol for describing what navigators do. Health Serv Res. 2010 Apr; 45(2):514-31.
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    14. Sanders, A., Stone, R., Meador, R. & Parker, V. Aging in place partnerships: a training program for family caregivers of residents living in affordable senior housing. Cityscape. 2010; 2(12):85-104.
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    15. Weaver FM, Hickey EC, Hughes SL, Parker V, Fortunato D, Rose J, Cohen S, Robbins L, Orr W, Priefer B, Wieland D, Baskins J. Providing all-inclusive care for frail elderly veterans: evaluation of three models of care. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2008 Feb; 56(2):345-53.
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    16. Allensworth-Davies D, Leigh J, Pukstas K, Geron SM, Hardt E, Brandeis G, Engle RL, Parker VA. Country of origin and racio-ethnicity: are there differences in perceived organizational cultural competency and job satisfaction among nursing assistants in long-term care? Health Care Manage Rev. 2007 Oct-Dec; 32(4):321-9.
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    17. Parker VA, Miyake Geron S. Cultural competence in nursing homes: issues and implications for education. Gerontol Geriatr Educ. 2007; 28(2):37-54.
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    18. Tyler DA, Parker VA, Engle RL, Brandeis GH, Hickey EC, Rosen AK, Wang F, Berlowitz DR. An exploration of job design in long-term care facilities and its effect on nursing employee satisfaction. Health Care Manage Rev. 2006 Apr-Jun; 31(2):137-44.
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    19. Frayne SM, Parker VA, Christiansen CL, Loveland S, Seaver MR, Kazis LE, Skinner KM. Health status among 28,000 women veterans. The VA Women's Health Program Evaluation Project. J Gen Intern Med. 2006 Mar; 21 Suppl 3:S40-6.
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    20. Pukstas, K, Parker, V, Brandeis G, Hardt E, Geron S, Tyler D, Leigh L, Engle R. Improving intercultural staff communication in the long term care setting. Annals of Long-Term care: clinical care and aging,. 2006; 8(14):34-37.
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    21. Hickey EC, Young GJ, Parker VA, Czarnowski EJ, Saliba D, Berlowitz DR. The effects of changes in nursing home staffing on pressure ulcer rates. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2005 Jan-Feb; 6(1):50-3.
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    22. Charbonneau A, Parker V, Meterko M, Rosen AK, Kader B, Owen RR, Ash AS, Whittle J, Berlowitz DR. The relationship of system-level quality improvement with quality of depression care. Am J Manag Care. 2004 Nov; 10(11 Pt 2):846-51.
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    23. Frayne SM, Seaver MR, Loveland S, Christiansen CL, Spiro A, Parker VA, Skinner KM. Burden of medical illness in women with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Arch Intern Med. 2004 Jun 28; 164(12):1306-12.
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    24. Warner G, Drainoni ML, Parker V, Agins BD, Eldred L. Factors associated with the successful implementation of a quality improvement project in human immunodeficiency virus ambulatory care clinics. Am J Med Qual. 2004 Mar-Apr; 19(2):75-82.
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    25. Byrne MM, Charns MP, Parker VA, Meterko MM, Wray NP. The effects of organization on medical utilization: an analysis of service line organization. Med Care. 2004 Jan; 42(1):28-37.
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    26. Parker, V.A. Connecting relational work and workgroup context in care-giving organizations. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. 2002; 3(38):276-297.
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    27. Parker VA, Charns MP, Young GJ. Clinical service lines in integrated delivery systems: an initial framework and exploration. J Healthc Manag. 2001 Jul-Aug; 46(4):261-75.
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    28. Young GJ, Parker VA, Charns MP. Provider integration and local market conditions: a contingency theory perspective. Health Care Manage Rev. 2001; 26(2):73-9.
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    29. Parker VA, Wubbenhorst WH, Young GJ, Desai KR, Charns MP. Implementing quality improvement in hospitals: the role of leadership and culture. Am J Med Qual. 1999 Jan-Feb; 14(1):64-9.
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    30. Parker, V.A. and Kram, K.E. Women mentoring women: creating conditions for connection. Business Horizons. 1993; 2(36):42-51.
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    31. Hall, D.T. and Parker, V.A. The role of workplace flexibility in managing diversity. Organizational Dynamics. 1993; 1(22):5-18.
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