Medical College of Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin Medical College of Wisconsin
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General Internal Medicine
Rebekah J. Walker, PhD

Rebekah J. Walker, PhD

Associate Professor; Associate Director, Center for Advancing Population Science

Locations

  • General Internal Medicine

Contact Information

Biography

Rebekah Walker, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in the Division of General Internal Medicine and the Associate Director for the Center for Advancing Population Science (CAPS). She completed her PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Science at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Dr. Walker has overseen the growth of the Department of Medicine’s biostatistical support service and led CAPS’s Health System Research Unit where she supports faculty, fellows, and residents conducting research, quality improvement, and operations efforts focused on transforming healthcare. Dr. Walker’s research focuses on reducing and eliminating health disparities by addressing social determinants of health, with particular emphasis on chronic disease outcomes in low-income populations. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications, serves as a Deputy Editor for the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM), and has served on study sections for the ADA and NIH.

Research Experience

  • Chronic Disease
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
  • Global Health
  • Health Services Research
  • Health Status Disparities
  • Minority Health
  • Social Determinants of Health
  • Socioeconomic Factors

MCW Program / Core Facilities

  • Center for Advancing Population Science

Research Interests

Dr. Walker is a health services researcher trained in research methodology and health disparities. Her research focuses on reducing and eliminating health disparities by addressing social determinants of health, with particular emphasis on psychosocial, behavioral, and community factors influencing low income populations. Dr. Walker is particularly interested in incorporating social determinants of health such as stress and food insecurity into interventions that improve health outcomes for low income individuals with diabetes. In addition, she is interested in global health effort, particularly in the areas of indigenous health, building health care capacity in low resource environments, and incorporating social determinants of health into health care efforts to improve outcomes for non-communicable diseases.

Dr. Walker has expertise in analytical techniques focused on understanding mechanisms and pathways, including confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis, and structured equation modeling. She also has training in health behavior, health services theory, health economics, and implementation science. Her ongoing work is funded through the American Diabetes Association and the NIH National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) focused on addressing food insecurity in African Americans with diabetes.

Publications

Publications of Rebekah Walker PhD from the Faculty Collaboration Database