PhD – Nursing, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA

Biography: Dr. Maria Yefimova, registered nurse, is interested in improving care of frail older adults with the use of health technology through interdisciplinary research in partnership with multiple stakeholders, integration of findings in the existing care delivery systems, informing public policy, and educating future healthcare providers. 

Dr. Yefimova worked on her main project, entitled “Determinants of Adherence to a Home Telehealth Program in Veterans with Heart Failure” with mentors Jenice Guzman, Chi-Hong Tseng, and Michael Ong.  The purpose of the project was to identify how Veterans’ health status and their social resources are associated with different patterns of adherence to a home telehealth (HT) device.  The study involved a sub-analysis of a retrospective longitudinal study that examined HT adherence in a national sample of Veterans with heart failure enrolled in the VA Home Telehealth Program.  Results from the analysis were presented at the National Clinician Scholars Program Annual Meeting in New Haven, CT in November 2017.  Dr. Yefimova concluded that understanding the clinical characteristics of Veterans with different patterns of adherence to a telehealth program will help to customize and improve the VA home telehealth program to make it more effective. 

Dr. Yefimova additionally completed a community project entitled, “Developing a Sustainable and Tailored Dementia Care Program in the Nursing Homes of Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Health System.” The goal of the project, in collaboration with the VA Greater Los Angeles nursing homes, was to help develop a sustainable dementia care program by empowering and engaging nursing staff in quality improvement (QI) efforts.  The program was evaluated at baseline and at 6 months, and outcomes included staff self-perceived dementia competence, clinical assessments of residents’ behavioral symptoms related to dementia, and qualitative feedback related to QI projects.   The dissemination plan for the project included an internal report within the VA, a poster to highlight the program during the 2017 VA Greater Los Angeles Nurses Week, and an academic publication in a clinical journal, which is in the process of submission. 

In addition to her research, during her time as a Clinician Scholar, Dr. Yefimova served as an ad hoc reviewer for the Journal of Advanced Nursing and Journal of Hospital Medicine, a member of the National Hartford Center for Gerontological Nursing Excellence Education Committee, and the UCLA Scholar Representative for the National Clinician Scholars Program Annual Meeting Committee on Arrangements. 

Dr. Maria Yefimova joined the Center for Innovation to Implementation at VA Palo Alto as Research Health Science Specialist.  There, she extends her implementation and dissemination training as the 2018 AcademyHealth Delivery Science Fellow.  She also serves as Research Nurse Scientist at Stanford Healthcare with an appointment as a Clinical Instructor at the Division of Primary Care and Population Health in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University. Dr. Yefimova continues her research on improving care for frail older adults with the use of telehealth and remote monitoring. She continues to work on implementing and evaluating a new home-based model of care for older patients with complex medical and palliative needs. Dr. Yefimova is also involved in developing academic nursing research capacity at Stanford Health.