Hannah Decker, MD MAS

As we advocate for housing status to be documented in national databases, in the meantime: researchers can use multiple sources, collaborate with state/local housing service providers or health departments, and look to emerging technologies (including LLMs) to extract data from clinical docs.

Currently, it is very challenging to identify people experiencing homelessness, and common ways have notable flaws. Surgeons must seize emerging opportunities to standardize documentation of housing status to 1) facilitate better rsch & 2) move from describing problems to testing solutions.

🆕 🆕 Perspective out in Annals of Surgery: "Homelessness Research Has a Data Problem" journals.lww.com/annalsofsurg...

Now seems like as good a time as any to introduce myself! My name is Hannah Decker, general surgery resident @ucsfsurgery.bsky.social currently in the National Clinicians Scholars Program. I am interested in conducting methodologically rigorous research to inform policy and promote surgical equity.

Housing Status Changes Are Associated With Cancer Outcomes Among US Veterans | Health Affairs Journal Cancer is a leading cause of death in older unhoused adults. We assessed whether being unhoused, gaining housing, or losing housing in the year after cancer diagnosis is associated with poorer surviva...

Follow Friday! @hannahdeckermd.bsky.social found that Veterans with new cancer dx, who were homeless had worse outcomes than housed Vets. But--those who regained housing after dx, had similar outcomes to those who hadn't been homeless.
@ucsfbhhi.bsky.social
www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10....