The Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) is pleased to announce Julia Berian, MD, MS, and Matthew Kalscheur, MD, as recipients of its 2026-27 Learning Health System (LHS) Demonstration Project awards.
The LHS Demonstration Project award is a joint initiative funded by UW Health to support UW physician scientists in implementing data-driven, evidence-based research interventions that address high-priority needs within the UW Health system. Principal investigators serve as clinical champions and work in close collaboration with a UW Health operational leader to ensure alignment between clinical priorities and operational implementation.
Unlike traditional research, LHS Demonstration Projects emphasize continuous learning and quality improvement, using real-time patient data to improve care outcomes immediately. The goal is to close the gap between research and practice by creating a system that “learns” from every patient encounter to improve the next one.
Projects supported in this cycle run from Nov. 1, 2026, to Oct. 31, 2027. Learn more about the awardees and their research projects below.
Julia Berian, MD, MS
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Colorectal Surgery
Operational partner: Alexis Eastman, MD
“Leveraging the Learning Health System to Enhance Age-Friendly Surgical Care: A Hybrid Type III Randomized Trial to Optimize Preoperative Readiness”
This project will test an automated screening and referral system for older adults undergoing surgery. Prior to surgery, patients will be screened for frailty and, if needed, referred to UW’s Perioperative Optimization for Senior Health (POSH) clinic where an interdisciplinary team will identify strategies to reduce complications during and after surgery. The project goal is to scale up access to the POSH clinic and develop a strategy that can serve as a blueprint to streamline referral pathways for other specialized clinics across the health system.
Matthew Kalscheur, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Operational partner: Kristen Brey, MSW, CAPSW
“Scaling Patient-Centered Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Across Primary and Specialty Care: A Learning Health System Approach”
This project will enhance and expand UW Health’s existing nurse care coordinator-facilitated home blood pressure monitoring program by addressing gaps in blood pressure documentation, care coordination, and effective access to monitoring. The project will expand the program to specialty clinics to increase accountability of blood pressure management among patients. The project will also develop an AI-enabled workflow and tool to convert unstructured, patient-reported blood pressure data into structured electronic health record entries, extending structured documentation to patients who cannot or do not use MyChart.
The purpose of ICTR’s LHS program is to harness evidence-based medicine to overcome inefficiencies in health care delivery to improve patient outcomes, increase provider well-being and patient access to care, and close the gap between the translational research enterprise and health system.
Stay connected with the LHS program through its newsletter, YouTube channel, and podcast.
The projects described are funded by UW Health and the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and supported by the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, through the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), grant UL1TR002373.