Adam S. Wilk, PhD

It is our responsibility to harmonize policy systems with models of clinical care that effectively meet patients where they are, regardless of their clinical complexity or social circumstances.

Initiatives

Research Scientist, William M. Tierney Center for Health Services Research at Regenstrief Institute
Associate Professor of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine

Dr. Adam Wilk is a health economist and health services researcher working to improve access to high-quality and high-value health care services for populations with chronic diseases. His research focused on state and national insurance programs (e.g., Medicaid and Medicare), and the impact of these programs’ policies on access to needed care for individuals with low-income and disabilities. In recent years, he has prioritized studying opportunities to improve access to and equity in kidney transplantation and home dialysis among adults with end-stage kidney disease.

Dr. Wilk’s research aims to understand how policy and the organization of health systems influence the decision-making of physicians, physician practices, and other care providers and, in turn, affect the care provided to their patients. For nearly two decades, he has managed complex, linked clinical databases and integrated findings from analyses of multiple data sources such as surveys, administrative claims databases, and qualitative interview transcripts. His research employs rigorous study designs and analytic approaches that support answering important questions about barriers to effective clinical care, the translation of evidence into care practice, care delivery improvement strategies, and policy evaluations.

Through his role co-leading the Transplant Research for Equity and Access Team (TREAT) at Regenstrief and the IU School of Medicine, he has led and contributed to numerous studies that build towards a more effective and equitable system for helping patients with kidney disease to achieve their treatment goals, from diagnosis (and even before diagnosis), all the way through dialysis treatment, transplant access, and post-transplant care. He has also served as a committed mentor for dozens of PhD students and early career researchers within TREAT and beyond.

Featured Projects

Multi-level Factors that Influence Dialysis Facilities' Assessments of Patient Suitability for Transplantation

(NIDDK K01)

Role: Principal Investigator

This mixed methods study examines how the efforts of dialysis care professionals to assess whether a patient may be a suitable candidate for kidney transplantation influences equity in transplant access downstream.

Impact of Randomized Payment Incentives on Disparities in Home Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation

(NIMHD R01)

Role: Co-investigator

Other Regenstrief Investigators: Dr. Rachel Patzer (joint principal investigator, with Dr. Amal Trivedi [Brown]), Dr. Kelsey Drewry (co-investigator)

Led by research teams at Indiana University and Brown University, this project aims to evaluate the impact of Medicare’s largest randomized controlled trial of an alternative payment model on inequities in treatment and health outcomes for patients with kidney failure.