Overview
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| mary.rojas@mountsinai.org |
Dr. Rojas received a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Southampton College in 1982. In 1986 she obtained her MA in Psychology from New York University. In 1988 completed a pre - doctoral fellowship in Psychiatric Epidemiology Columbia University, and in 1990 earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from New York University. She completed a Child Psychiatry post - doctoral research fellowship from a joint program from Columbia University, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Columbia University Medical Center.
With over 20 years experience in research, Dr. Rojas' repertoire extends beyond academia into health care quality improvement and administration. Leading Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield's quality improvement she significantly contributed to their National Committee for Quality Assurance Accreditation. Later, she joined IPRO, a quality improvement organization (formerly known as a peer review organization funded through the CMS), for New York State. There she directed the Department of Data Analysis and Epidemiology and designed implemented and project managed over 30 statewide quality improvement projects for the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare services (formally Health Care Financial Administration (HCFA)).
In 2001, she joined the Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Department of Health Policy and the office of the Executive Vice President for Excellence in Patient Care, lead by Dr. Mark Chassin. She contributed her methodological and statistical support to further health care improvement and research. At MSSM she was trained and certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt and conducted and coached several hospital-wide process improvement projects- billing, tracking of personal controlled analgesia, cardiology QI measures, laboratory turn around time, waiting room efficiency, to name a few. Working with Dr. Chassin and others, Dr. Rojas developed and implemented the MSSM Medication Safety Reporting System (MSRS) for medications ordered through MSSM's inpatient medical ordering system--- which is currently in place. MSRS was awarded honorable mention in the NYSDOH statewide 2005 Patient Safety Award competition.
In Health Policy, Dr. Rojas has been a member of several teams researching health service utilization and health disparities. Results are demonstrated in peer reviewed publications and research grants. Most recently, she is collaborating with Dr. Parks from the Department of Orthopedics to examine ethnic disparities in the use of total joint replacement.
Returning to her heart's interest, adolescent health (physical and emotional), in 2005 Dr. Rojas joined Dr. Angela Diaz and the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center (MSAHC) to develop a research program. There she trains and mentors Adolescent Medicine Fellows and Psychology Fellows. She has cultivated a relationship with prominent researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine that has lead to the development of federally funded HPV research on adolescents. The study examines cervical, oral, and anal human papilloma virus infection among adolescent women. Dr. Rojas recently completed a study with Dr. Diaz' on adolescents' disclosure of abuse in a primary care setting. The disclosure study randomizes adolescents to one of four abuse screening methods/interviews: Audio-Assisted Computerized Structured Interview (ACASI); self-administered paper-pencil; clinician structured; and clinician unstructured.
In addition to building the foundation for a nationally recognized research program through research grants and peer reviewed publications, she is leading our efforts to develop an electronic clinical data infrastructure to support management, clinical care, grants, and to examine the needs of MSAHC's adolescent population. Dr. Rojas is also is leading the effort to develop evaluation/quality measures for adolescent health to be applied to MSAHC, and in the future, disseminated nationally.
Her commitment to advancing research at Mount Sinai and the MSAHC is further demonstrated through her work on Faculty Development and Research Development with the Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs. Her influence is evident in the work of over 25 medical students, fellows, and faculty across many departments---OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Cardiology, Psychiatry, and Geriatrics. Along with mentoring, she teaches the 1st year pediatric fellows courses on Research Methods and Biostatistics. Dr. Rojas is a member of the Mount Sinai Institutional Review Board and serves a reviewer for the Journal of Adolescent Health.
