Chren Research Group
As a dermatology and health services investigator, Dr. Meg Chren uses her research to improve the understanding and care of dermatologic diseases. Studies by the Chren Research Group focus on health outcomes of patients with chronic skin diseases. They have developed and validated the Skindex group of skin-related quality-of-life tools, which are widely used as outcomes measures.
The group is particularly interested in studies to learn how best to communicate complex health attributes and outcomes to clinicians in user-friendly and interpretable ways. They have recently developed a digital tool, the e-Skin Vital Signs, which assesses a patient’s experience of illness and communicates the information to the clinician prior to the office visit.
The Chren Research Group's goal is to personalize and improve care by including explicit measures of patients’ experience in the clinical encounter. Dr. Chren has mentored many junior researchers from health services research, clinical epidemiology, and the quantitative social sciences. Her work has been funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Dermatology Foundation.
Our vision is to elevate Vanderbilt Dermatology as the premier place for dermatology faculty to develop academic careers in clinical research. We place great value on a collaborative culture of curiosity and discovery to achieve this.