Cara V. James, PhD.

Dr. James recently joined the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation as the Senior Policy Analyst for the Race, Ethnicity and Health Care group, and as the Director of the Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program, which is managed in partnership with Howard University.  Dr. James' research interests include racial/ethnic minority health, care for the disabled and other underserved populations, and improving doctor-patient communication.  She received her PhD in Health Policy from Harvard University in 2006.  Her dissertation research focused on the experience of patients with end-stage renal disease at dialysis facilities across the country.  It addressed questions related to the impact of dialysis facility characteristics on patient assessments of care, and whether there are information differences between black and white patients that explain observed racial differences in patient preference for a kidney transplant.  As a doctoral student, Dr. James co-authored one of the background chapters for the Institute of Medicine’s report Unequal Treatment, and was part of a Consumer Assessments of Health Plans (CAHPS) survey team that developed a national survey to measure patient assessments of care at dialysis facilities.