I am a thoracic surgeon, scientist, and educator dedicated to improving healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. One area of interest is optimizing the use of diagnostics throughout the lung cancer care continuum (e.g. screening, staging, and surveillance). Our team has tackled this area of interest through comparative-effectiveness research and the development, validation, and testing of risk-prediction models that facilitate individualized care and maximize value. Another area of interest is quality improvement research in thoracic oncology. Last but not least, I enjoy working with and mentoring the next generation of clinician-scientists at the University of Washington Surgical Outcomes Research Center (SORCE).

Matthew Banegas, PhD, MD, Kaiser Permanente Northwest
Rebecca Smith-Bindman, MD, University of San Francisco
Diana Buist, PhD, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
David R. Flum, MD MPH, UW Department of Surgery
Robert Greenlee, PhD, MPH, Marshfield Clinical Research Institute
Michael Gould, MD, MS, Kaiser Permanente Southern California
Larry Kessler, ScD, UW Department of Health Services
David Madtes, MD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Michael S. Mulligan, MD, UW Department of Surgery
Douglas E. Wood, MD, UW Department of Surgery
Steven Zeliadt, PhD, US Department of Veterans Affairs

Research Project Grant (NCI R01CA207375; PI)
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (Contract 1409-24099; co-I)
Fred Hutch /UW Cancer Center Support Grant (5P30 CA015704-40; Development Funds)
American College of Chest Physicians CHEST Foundation (PI)
Cancer Research Network Pilot Grant (co-PI)
Cancer Research Network Scholars Program (Scholar)
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NCI F32 CA130434-01)
Cancer Epidemiology and Biostatistics Training Grant (T32 CA09168-30)
NIH Clinical Research Training Program (K30 RR022293-07)

1. Monu J, Triplette M, Wood DE, Wolff EM, Lavallee DC, Flum DR, Farjah F. Evaluating Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs about Lung Cancer Screening Using Crowdsourcing. Chest. 2020 (in press).
2. Verdial FC, Madtes DK, Cheng GS, Pipavath S, Kim R, Hubbard JJ, Zadworny M, Wood DE, Farjah F. Multidisciplinary team based management of incidentally detected lung nodules. Chest. 2019 (in press).
3. Verdial FC, Berfield K, Wood DE, Mulligan M, Roth J, Francis DO, Farjah F. Safety and costs of endobronchial ultrasound-guided nodal aspiration and mediastinoscopy. Chest. 2019 (in press).
4. Verdial FC, Madtes D, Hwang B, Mulligan M, Odem-Davis K, Waroruntu R, Wood DE, Farjah F. A Prediction Model for Nodal Disease among Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Ann Thorac Surg. 2019 Jun;107(6):1600-1606.
5. Thornblade LW, Mulligan MS, Odem-Davis K, Hwang B, Waworuntu RL, Wolff EM, Kessler L, Wood DE, Farjah F. Challenges in predicting recurrence after resection of node negative non-small cell lung cancer. Ann of Thorac Surg. 2018 Nov;106(5):1460-1467.
6. Krantz SB, Howington JA, Wood DE, Kim KW, Kosinski AS, Cox ML, Kim S, Mulligan MS, Farjah F. Invasive mediastinal staging for lung cancer by Society of Thoracic Surgeons database participants. Ann Thorac Surg. 2018 Oct;106(4):1055-1062.
7. Thornblade LW, Wood DE, Mulligan MS, Farivar AS, Hubka M, Costas KE, Krishnadasan B, Farjah F. Variability in invasive mediastinal staging for lung cancer: a multi-center regional study. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2018 Jun;155(6):2658-2671.
8. Thornblade LW, Wood DE, Mulligan MS, Oelschlager BK, Saunders MD, Flum DR, Farjah F. A nationwide rise in the use of stents for benign esophageal perforation. Ann Thorac Surg. 2017 Jul;104(1):227-233.
9. Ehlers AP, Oelschlager BK, Pellegrini CA, Wright AS, Saunders MD, Flum DR, He H, Farjah F. Achalasia treatment, outcomes, utilization, & costs: a population-based study from the United States. JACS. 2017 Sep;225(3):380-386.
10. Farjah F, Halgrim S, Buist DSM, Gould MK, Zeliadt SB, Loggers ET, Carrell DS. An automated method for identifying individuals with a lung nodule can be feasibly implemented across health systems. EGEMS (Wash DC). 2016 Aug 26;4(1):1254.
11. Simianu VV, Varghese TK, Flanagan MR, Flum DR, Shankaran V, Oelschlager BK, Mulligan MS, Wood DE, Pellegrini CA, Farjah F. Positron emission tomography for initial staging of esophageal cancer among Medicare beneficiaries. J Gastrointest Oncol. 2016 June;7(3):395-402.
12. Flanagan MR, Varghese TK, Backhus LM, Wood DE, Mulligan MS, Cheng AM, Flum DR, Farjah F. Gaps in guideline concordant use of diagnostic tests among lung cancer patients. Ann Thorac Surg. 2015 Dec;100(6):2006-2012.
13. Farjah F, Madtes DK, Wood DE, Flum DR, Zadworny ME, Waworuntu R, Hwang B, Mulligan MS. Vascular endothelial growth factor C complements the ability of positron emission tomography to predict nodal disease in lung cancer. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2015 Oct;150(4):796-803.
14. Farjah F, Backhus LM, Cheng AM, Englum BR, Kim S, Saha-Chaudhuri P, Wood DE, Mulligan MS, Varghese TK. Failure to rescue and pulmonary resection for lung cancer. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2015 May;149(5):1365-1371.
15. Farjah F, Backhus LM, Varghese TK, Mulligan MS, Cheng A, Alfonso-Cristancho R, Flum DR, Wood DE. Ninety-day costs of VATS and open lobectomy for lung cancer. Ann Thorac Surg. 2014 Jul;98(1):175-181.
16. Farjah F, Varghese TK, Costas K, Krishnadasan B, Farivar AS, Hubka M, Louie BE, Backhus LM, Chong N, Gordon J, Cheng AM, He H, Flum DR, Low D, Aye R, Vallieres E, Mulligan MS, Wood DE. Lung resection outcomes and costs in Washington State: a case for regional quality improvement. Ann Thorac Surg. 2014 Jul;98(1):175-181.
17. Farjah F, Lou F, Sima C, Rusch VW, Rizk NP. A prediction model for pathologic N2 disease in lung cancer patients with a negative mediastinum by positron emission tomography. J Thorac Oncol. 2013 Sep;8(9):1170-1780.
18. Farjah F, Lou F, Rusch VW, Rizk NP. The quality metric prolonged length of stay misses clinically important adverse events. Ann Thorac Surg. 2012 Sep;94(3):881-887.
19. Farjah F, Wood DE, Varghese TK, Massarweh NN, Symons RG, Flum DR. Health care utilization among surgically treated Medicare beneficiaries with lung cancer. Ann Thorac Surg. 2009 Dec;88(6):1749-1756.
20. Farjah F, Wood DE, Mulligan MS, Krishnadasan B, Heagerty PJ, Symons RG, Flum DR. Safety and efficacy of video-assisted versus conventional lung resection for lung cancer. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2009 Jun;137(6):1415-1421.
21. Farjah F, Flum DR, Varghese TK, Jr., Symons RG, Wood DE. Surgeon specialty and long-term survival after pulmonary resection for lung cancer. Ann Thorac Surg. 2009 Apr;87(4):995-1004; discussion 1005-1006.
22. Farjah F, Flum DR, Ramsey SD, Heagerty PJ, Symons RG, Wood DE. Multi-modality mediastinal staging for lung cancer among Medicare beneficiaries. J Thorac Oncol. 2009 Mar;4(3):355-363.
23. Farjah F, Wood DE, Yanez ND 3rd, Vaughan TL, Symons RG, Krishnadasan B, Flum DR. Racial disparities among patients with lung cancer who were recommended operative therapy. Arch Surg. 2009 Jan 19;144(1):14-18.
24. Farjah F, Wood DE, Yanez D, 3rd, Symons RG, Krishnadasan B, Flum DR. Temporal trends in the management of potentially resectable lung cancer. Ann Thorac Surg. 2008 Jun;85(6):1850-1855; discussion 1856.
25. Farjah F, Symons RG, Krishnadasan B, Wood DE, Flum DR. Management of pleural space infections: a population-based analysis. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2007 Feb;133(2):346-351.

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