A national leader in improving the quality of healthcare provided by gastroenterologists, Regenstrief Institute Research Scientist Jennifer K. Maratt, M.D., M.S. has been named chair of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Quality Committee. She will serve in this position until June of 2026.
The influential 14-member body develops and works to support operationalization of quality measures for the AGA’s 16,000 members and the patients across the United States for whom they provide care.
The Quality Committee is tasked with offering expertise critical to developing and implementing quality metrics related to conditions of the gastrointestinal (GI) system such as colorectal cancer, hepatitis, gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn), peptic ulcer disease, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatic and biliary tract disease and irritable bowel syndrome.
Dr. Maratt’s research focuses on patient-centered approaches to improving the quality of GI care and access to cancer screening and surveillance. She is interested in developing interventions that allow gastroenterologists to deliver evidence-based care without healthcare system resource waste or high patient expenditure. She also wants to eliminate barriers to care and is currently studying what keeps patients who were motivated to undergo an initial colon cancer screening, which discovered pre-cancerous polyps or colorectal cancer, from adhering to physician recommendations for follow-up surveillance.
She also provides patient care. In addition to a general GI clinic, in which she cares for adults with a range of digestive problems such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation and acid reflex, she co-leads a multidisciplinary clinic in which she offers comprehensive care for patients with hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes.
In addition to her role as a research scientist in the William M. Tierney Center for Health Services Research at Regenstrief Institute, Dr. Maratt is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Indiana University School of Medicine. She also serves as an investigator for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Health Services Research and Development Center for Health Information and Communication, Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center.
