Medical Student Molly Baxter presents research about parent proxy experience and decision-making at the ASPO-HNS meeting.
Dr. Boss leads federally funded research studying how patients, families, and clinicians communicate during medical decisions, and how those interactions influence trust, treatment decisions, variation in care, and healthcare delivery. Her work combines real clinical encounters, patient and clinician interviews, and health systems research to better understand how healthcare is experienced in practice.
The Boss Lab
The Boss Lab studies communication and decision-making during pediatric surgical care using dialogue from clinical visits, interviews, and mixed-methods research. The lab has recorded and analyzed more than 500 pediatric surgery consultations, uniquely allowing a portrayal of real-time care impacting patient outcomes and resource use.
Project CONNECTS: Communication and Outcomes that eNhaNce Engagement in Childhood Tonsillectomy and Sleep is a multi-institution study examining how surgeons and families communicate and make decisions about tonsillectomy for care of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing (snoring or sleep apnea) in children. The project examines how communication, parent engagement, clinician attitudes, and family factors influence decision-making and child health outcomes.
Lab Highlights
Recent milestones from the Johns Hopkins Boss Lab highlight national visibility, academic recognition, and mentorship in action.
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Conference presentation
Johns Hopkins medical student Ashwin Reddy presented Boss Lab research at the 2024 ASPO Annual Meeting at COSM, extending the lab’s national research visibility.
Selected peer-reviewed work
100+ peer-reviewed publications addressing resource utilization, communication, equity, and outcomes in pediatric surgery.