Research Seminar with Emily Mrig, PhD

In the era of precision medicine, genetic tests promise unprecedented opportunities for individualized care and improved clinical outcomes across a growing range of conditions, from cancer to Alzheimer’s and rare diseases. However, access to novel genomic technologies is uneven across populations, diseases, and clinical settings. Drawing from her independent and collaborative research, including studies examining coverage and reimbursement of diverse novel genomic technologies, and projects involving private payers through the UCSF-TRANSPERS Payer Research Board, Dr. Mrig’s work reveals how disparities in patient-facing costs, evolving test recommendation guidelines, and inconsistent payer coverage combine to form complex and multifaceted barriers to care.

Dr. Mrig’s research uses mixed-methods to study the factors influencing access to new genomic technologies in various clinical settings. Her NIH-funded project on lung cancer patients’ access to ctDNA testing combines AI techniques, such as natural language processing of unstructured electronic health record data, with patient narrative elicitation and multilevel stakeholder engagement. This approach reveals not only how costs and coverage impact access but also how the availability of institutional and clinical resources determines which patients receive testing. Dr. Mrig will discuss how these new insights help develop institutional and policy strategies to ensure all patients can benefit from genomic advancements.

Please note: Registration is required. In-person attendance is strongly encouraged, although virtual access will be provided for all registrants.

Speaker

Emily Mrig, PhD

Assistant Professor, Clinical Pharmacy, University of California San Francisco

Emily Mrig, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of California San Francisco Department of Clinical Pharmacy and at the Center for Translational and Policy Research on Precision Medicine (TRANSPERS). She is also an associate faculty member at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC) and the Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS). Mrig is an interdisciplinary scholar with diverse training and experience in public health, health policy, and social science that she applies to investigate inequities in health care access, especially in precision medicine, cancer, and end-of-life care. She focuses on the broader institutional, community, and policy factors shaping health disparities and the possibility of health policy interventions to produce effective change. Before joining the UCSF faculty, Mrig completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Yale University School of Public Health.

The Emerging Scholars Exchange Program is a collaborative program with peer universities developed to provide professional development opportunities for early career faculty. Conceived by the Faculty Development Committee at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation (IHPI), the Exchange Program is a collaboration between IHPI, Penn LDI, and UCSF’s Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies.