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Valerie M. Vaughn

Valerie M. Vaughn, MD, MS, SFHM, FACP

Languages spoken: English
  • Dr. Vaughn is a practicing hospitalist, an Assistant Professor of Medicine (tenure track), and the Director of Hospital Medicine Research in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Her research focuses on improving the safety of hospitalized patients with common infections, particularly pneumonia and urinary tract infection. To do so, she has focused on combating diagnostic error and overuse, particularly antibiotic overuse at transitions of care. As a practicing hospitalist, Dr. Vaughn works to understand the role hospitalists play in inappropriate antibiotic prescribing related to common infections. These interests span various areas, including understanding drivers and appropriateness of use, physician decision-making and cognitive error, and organizational culture. Dr. Vaughn currently has a grant through the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to develop measures to improve diagnosis of infections in hospitalized patients and a K08 Career Development Award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to improve antibiotic prescribing at transitions of care. She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed papers including in JAMA, BMJ, JAMA Internal Medicine, and Annals of Internal Medicine. She also serves as hospitalist lead for the Antimicrobial Use Initiative within the Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium (HMS) which helps hospitals use their own data to improve the care of patients with infection. As Director of Hospital Medicine research at the University of Utah, Dr. Vaughn runs the Utah Quality Advancement Laboratory (UQuAL) which includes a research mentorship program, UQuAL Scholars, to improve the care of hospitalized patients.

    Board Certification

    American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine)
  • Dr. Vaughn is a practicing hospitalist, an Assistant Professor of Medicine (tenure track), and the Director of Hospital Medicine Research in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Her research focuses on improving the safety of hospitalized patients with common infections, particularly pneumonia and urinary tract infection. To do so, she has focused on combating diagnostic error and overuse, particularly antibiotic overuse at transitions of care. As a practicing hospitalist, Dr. Vaughn works to understand the role hospitalists play in inappropriate antibiotic prescribing related to common infections. These interests span various areas, including understanding drivers and appropriateness of use, physician decision-making and cognitive error, and organizational culture. Dr. Vaughn currently has a grant through the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to develop measures to improve diagnosis of infections in hospitalized patients and a K08 Career Development Award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to improve antibiotic prescribing at transitions of care. She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed papers including in JAMA, BMJ, JAMA Internal Medicine, and Annals of Internal Medicine. She also serves as hospitalist lead for the Antimicrobial Use Initiative within the Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium (HMS) which helps hospitals use their own data to improve the care of patients with infection. As Director of Hospital Medicine research at the University of Utah, Dr. Vaughn runs the Utah Quality Advancement Laboratory (UQuAL) which includes a research mentorship program, UQuAL Scholars, to improve the care of hospitalized patients.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Internal Medicine -Primary
    Population Health Sciences -Adjunct
    Board Certification
    American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine)

    Education history

    Graduate Training Health and Health Services Research; Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program Curriculum - University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School M.S.
    Hospital Medicine - University of Michigan Research Fellow
    Residency Internal Medicine - University of Michigan Chief Medical Resident
    Internal Medicine - University of Michigan Resident
    Internship Internal Medicine - University of Michigan Intern
    Medicine - University of Michigan Medical School M.D.
    Undergraduate Biology with distinction; Chemistry - Duke University B.S.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Gupta A, Petty L, Gandhi T, Flanders S, Hsaiky L, Basu T, Zhang Q, Horowitz J, Masood Z, Chopra V, Vaughn VM (2022). Overdiagnosis of urinary tract infection linked to overdiagnosis of pneumonia: a multihospital cohort study. BMJ Qual Saf.
    2. Giesler, DL, Krein S, Branaccio A, Mashrah D, Ratz D, Gandhi TN, Bashaw L, Horowitz J, Vaughn VM (2021). "Reducing Overuse of Antibiotics at Discharge Home: A Single-Center Mixed Methods Pilot Study." September 2020. https://pubmed-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezproxy.lib.utah.edu/34848294/. Int J Infect Control.
    3. Vaughn VM, Gandhi TN, Hofer TP, Petty LA, Malani AN, Osterholzer D, Dumkow LE, Ratz D, Horowitz JK, McLaughlin ES, Czilok T, Flanders SA (2021). A Statewide Collaborative Quality Initiative To Improve Antibiotic Duration And Outcomes Of Patients Hospitalized With Uncomplicated Community-Acquired Pneumonia. Clin Infect Dis.
    4. Vaughn VM, Dunn G, Horowitz JK, McLaughlin ES, Gandhi TN (2021). "Duties, Resources, and Burnout of Antibiotic Stewards During the COVID-19 Pandemic". Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol.
    5. Vaughn VM, Hersh AL, Spivak ES (2021). Antibiotic Overuse and Stewardship at Hospital Discharge: The Reducing Overuse of Antibiotics at Discharge (ROAD) Home Framework. Clin Infect Dis.
    6. Soper NS, Appukutty AJ, Paje D, Petty LA, Flanders SA, Zhang Q, Horowitz JK, Vaughn VM (2021). Antibiotic overuse after discharge from medical short-stay units. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 1-4.
    7. Sheffield V, Hartley S, Stansfield RB, Mack M, Blackburn S, Vaughn VM, Heidemann L, Chang R, Lukela JR (2021). Gendered Expectations: the Impact of Gender, Evaluation Language, and Clinical Setting on Resident Trainee Assessment of Faculty Performance. J Gen Intern Med.
    8. Petty LA, Flanders SA, Vaughn VM, Ratz D, OMalley M, Malani AN, Washer L, Kim T, Kocher KE, Kaatz S, Czilok T, McLaughlin E, Prescott HC, Chopra V, Gandhi T (2021). Risk factors and outcomes associated with community-onset and hospital-acquired coinfection in patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A multihospital cohort study. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 1-10.
    9. Chopra V, Flanders SA, Vaughn V, Petty LA, Gandhi T, McSparron JI, Malani AN, OMalley M, Kim T, McLaughlin E, Prescott HC (2021). "Variation in COVID-19 Characteristics, Treatment, and Outcomes in Michigan: An Observational Study in 32 Hospitals." . BMJ Open.
    10. Advani S, Vaughn VM (2021). Quality Improvement Interventions and Implementation Strategies for Urine Culture Stewardship in the Acute Care Setting: Advances and Challenges. Curr Infect Dis Rep, 23(10).
    11. Spencer-Segal JL, Smith CA, Slavin A, Sampang L, DiGiovine D, Spencer AE, Zhang Q, Horowitz J, Vaughn VM (2021). Mental health outcomes after hospitalization with or without COVID-19. Gen Hosp Psychiatry, 72, 152-153.
    12. Gonzalez JJ, DiBattista J, Gomez V, Gonzalez E, Zhang Q, Vaughn VM, Tapper EB (2021). Impact of Inpatient Attending Specialty and Gastroenterology Consultation on Quality of Care of Patients Hospitalized with Decompensated Cirrhosis. Am J Med, 134(10), 1270-1277.e2.
    13. Vaughn VM, Yost M, Abshire C, Flanders SA, Paje D, Grant P, Kaatz S, Kim T, Barnes GD (2021). Trends in Venous Thromboembolism Anticoagulation in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19. JAMA Netw Open, 4(6), e2111788.
    14. Vaughn VM, Gandhi TN, Petty LA, Patel PK, Prescott HC, Malani AN, Ratz D, McLaughlin E, Chopra V, Flanders SA (2020). Empiric Antibacterial Therapy and Community-onset Bacterial Coinfection in Patients Hospitalized With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Multi-hospital Cohort Study. Clin Infect Dis, 72(10), e533-e541.
    15. Mody L, Akinboyo IC, Babcock HM, Bischoff WE, Cheng VC, Chiotos K, Claeys KC, Coffey KC, Diekema DJ, Donskey CJ, Ellingson KD, Gilmartin HM, Gohil SK, Harris AD, Keller SC, Klein EY, Krein SL, Kwon JH, Lauring AS, Livorsi DJ, Lofgren ET, Merrill K, Milstone AM, Monsees EA, Morgan DJ, Perri LP, Pfeiffer CD, Rock C, Saint S, Sickbert-Bennett E, Skelton F, Suda KJ, Talbot TR, Vaughn VM, Weber DJ, Wiemken TL, Yassin MH, Ziegler MJ, Anderson DJ, SHEA Research Committee (2021). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) research agenda for healthcare epidemiology. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 1-11.
    16. Petty LA, Vaughn VM, Flanders SA, Patel T, Malani AN, Ratz D, Kaye KS, Pogue JM, Dumkow LE, Thyagarajan R, Hsaiky LM, Osterholzer D, Kronick SL, McLaughlin E, Gandhi TN (2020). Assessment of Testing and Treatment of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Initiated in the Emergency Department. Open Forum Infect Dis, 7(12), ofaa537.
    17. Vaughn VM, OMalley M, Flanders SA, Gandhi TN, Petty LA, Malani AN, Weinmann A, Horowitz JK, Chopra V (2020). Association of Infectious Disease Physician Approval of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter With Appropriateness and Complications. JAMA Netw Open, 3(10), e2017659.
    18. Calderwood MS, Deloney VM, Anderson DJ, Cheng VC, Gohil S, Kwon JH, Mody L, Monsees E, Vaughn VM, Wiemken TL, Ziegler MJ, Lofgren E (2020). Policies and practices of SHEA Research Network hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 41(10), 1127-1135.
    19. Vaughn VM, Gandhi TN, Chopra V, Petty LA, Giesler DL, Malani AN, Bernstein SJ, Hsaiky LM, Pogue JM, Dumkow L, Ratz D, McLaughlin ES, Flanders SA (2020). Antibiotic Overuse After Hospital Discharge: A multi-hospital cohort study. Clin Infect Dis.
    20. Vaughn VM, Gandhi T, Petty LA, Patel PK, Prescott HC, Malani AN, Ratz D, McLaughlin E, Chopra V, Flanders, SA (2020). Empiric Antibacterial Therapy and Community-onset Bacterial Co-infection in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19: A Multi-Hospital Cohort Study. Clin Infect Dis.
    21. Petty LA, Vaughn VM, Gandhi TN (2020). Web Exclusive. Annals for Hospitalists Inpatient Notes - Innocent Bystander: Leaving Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Alone in Hospitalized Patients. Ann Intern Med, 173(2), HO2-HO3.
    22. Calderwood MS, Deloney VM, Anderson D, Cheng VC, Gohi S, Kwon JH, Mody L, Monsees E, Vaughn VM, Wimken TL, Ziegler MJ, Lofgen E (2020). Policies and Practices of SHEA Research Network Hospitals during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol.
    23. Carey MR, Vaughn VM, Mann J, Townsend W, Chopra V, Patel PK (2020). Is Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Therapy Non-Inferior to Antibiotic Therapy in Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections: a Systematic Review. J Gen Intern Med, 35(6), 1821-1829.
    24. Vaughn VM, Seelye SM, Wang XQ, Wiitala WL, Rubin MA, Prescott HC (2020). Inpatient and Discharge Fluoroquinolone Prescribing in Veterans Affairs Hospitals Between 2014 and 2017. Open Forum Infect Dis, 7(5), ofaa149.
    25. Vaughn VM, Saint S, Greene MT, Ratz D, Fowler KE, Patel PK, Krein SL (2020). Trends in Health Care-Associated Infection Prevention Practices in US Veterans Affairs Hospitals From 2005 to 2017. JAMA Netw Open, 3(2), e1920464.
    26. Vaughn VM, Greene MT, Ratz D, Fowler KE, Krein SL, Flanders SA, Dubberke ER, Saint S, Patel PK (2019). Antibiotic stewardship teams and Clostridioides difficile practices in United States hospitals: A national survey in The Joint Commission antibiotic stewardship standard era. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 41(2), 143-148.
    27. Vaughn VM, Petty LA, Flanders SA, Malani AN, Patel T, Bernstein SJ, Hsaiky LM, Thyagarajan R, Osterholzer D, McLaughlin E, Horowitz JK, Gandhi TN (2020). A Deeper Dive Into Antibiotic Stewardship Needs: A Multihospital Survey. Open Forum Infect Dis, 7(3), ofaa007.
    28. Vaughn VM, Szymczak JE, Newton DW, Fakih MG (2019). Addressing the Overuse of Cultures to Optimize Patient Care. Ann Intern Med, 171(7_Suppl), S73-S74.
    29. Saint S, Meddings J, Fowler KE, Vaughn VM, Ameling JM, Rohde JM, Popovich KJ, Calfee DP, Krein SL, Chopra V (2019). The Guide to Patient Safety for Health Care-Associated Infections. Ann Intern Med, 171(7_Suppl), S7-S9.
    30. Vaughn VM, Gandhi T, Conlon A, Chopra V, Malani AN, Flanders SA (2018). The Association of Antibiotic Stewardship With Fluoroquinolone Prescribing in Michigan Hospitals: A Multi-hospital Cohort Study. Clin Infect Dis, 69(8), 1269-1277.
    31. Petty LA, Vaughn VM, Flanders SA, Malani AN, Conlon A, Kaye KS, Thyagarajan R, Osterholzer D, Nielsen D, Eschenauer GA, Bloemers S, McLaughlin E, Gandhi TN (2019). Risk Factors and Outcomes Associated With Treatment of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Hospitalized Patients. JAMA Intern Med, 179, 1519-1527.
    32. Vaughn VM, Flanders SA, Snyder A, Conlon A, Rogers MAM, Malani AN, McLaughlin E, Bloemers S, Srinivasan A, Nagel J, Kaatz S, Osterholzer D, Thyagarajan R, Hsaiky L, Chopra V, Gandhi TN (2019). Excess Antibiotic Treatment Duration and Adverse Events in Patients Hospitalized With Pneumonia: A Multihospital Cohort Study. Ann Intern Med, 171(3), 153-163.
    33. Vaughn VM, Saint S, Krein SL, Forman JH, Meddings J, Ameling J, Winter S, Townsend W, Chopra V (2018). Characteristics of healthcare organisations struggling to improve quality: results from a systematic review of qualitative studies. BMJ Qual Saf, 28(1), 74-84.
    34. Patel PK, Gupta A, Vaughn VM, Mann JD, Ameling JM, Meddings J (2017). Review of Strategies to Reduce Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) and Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) in Adult ICUs. J Hosp Med, 13(2), 105-116.
    35. Saint S, Vaughn VM, Chopra V, Fowler KE, Kachalia A (2017). Perception of Resources Spent on Defensive Medicine and History of Being Sued Among Hospitalists: Results from a National Survey. J Hosp Med, 13(1), 26-29.
    36. Chopra V, Kuhn L, Vaughn V, Ratz D, Winter S, Moureau N, Meyer B, Krein S (2017). CE: Original Research: Does Certification in Vascular Access Matter? An Analysis of the PICC1 Survey. Am J Nurs, 117(12), 24-34.
    37. Vaughn VM, Shuster D, Rogers MAM, Mann J, Conte ML, Saint S, Chopra V (2017). Early Versus Delayed Feeding in Patients With Acute Pancreatitis: A Systematic Review. Ann Intern Med, 166(12), 883-892.
    38. Krein SL, Kuhn L, Ratz D, Winter S, Vaughn VM, Chopra V (2017). The relationship between perceived role and appropriate use of peripherally inserted central catheters: A survey of vascular access nurses in the United States. Int J Nurs Stud, 71, 28-33.
    39. Barker AK, Ngam C, Musuuza JS, Vaughn VM, Safdar N (2017). Reducing Clostridium difficile in the Inpatient Setting: A Systematic Review of the Adherence to and Effectiveness of C. difficile Prevention Bundles. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 38(6), 639-650.
    40. Smith SN, Moureau N, Vaughn VM, Boldenow T, Kaatz S, Grant PJ, Bernstein SJ, Flanders SA, Chopra V (2017). Patterns and Predictors of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Occlusion: The 3P-O Study. J Vasc Interv Radiol, 28(5), 749-756.e2.
    41. Vaughn VM, Chopra V (2016). Revisiting the panculture. BMJ Qual Saf, 26(3), 236-239.
    42. Vaughn V, Saint S, Chopra V (2017). Mentee Missteps: Tales From the Academic Trenches. JAMA, 317(5), 475-476.
    43. Chopra V, Kuhn L, Ratz D, Shader S, Vaughn VM, Saint S, Krein SL (2016). Vascular Access Specialist Training, Experience, and Practice in the United States: Results From the National PICC1 Survey. J Infus Nurs, 40(1), 15-25.
    44. Vaughn VM, Chopra V, Howell JD (2016). War games and diagnostic errors. BMJ, 355, i6342.
    45. Vaughn VM, Flanders SA (2016). Web Exclusives. Annals for Hospitalists Inpatient Notes - Mindfulness and Antibiotic Appropriateness-How Point-of-Care Stewardship Begins With Hospitalists. Ann Intern Med, 165(10), HO2-HO3.
    46. Vaughn VM, Callahan SJ, Pile J, Kazanjian P, Odden A (2016). Caught red-handed. J Hosp Med, 11(8), 583-6.
    47. Vaughn VM, Cron DC, Terjimanian MN, Gala ZS, Wang SC, Su GL, Volk ML (2015). Analytic morphomics identifies predictors of new-onset diabetes after liver transplantation. Clin Transplant, 29(5), 458-64.
    48. Vaughn-Sandler V, Sherman C, Aronsohn A, Volk ML (2013). Consequences of perceived stigma among patients with cirrhosis. Dig Dis Sci, 59(3), 681-6.
    49. Vaughn VM, Streeter CC, Miller DJ, Gerrard SR (2010). Restriction of rift valley Fever virus virulence in mosquito cells. Viruses, 2(2), 655-75.
    50. Koeberl DD, Pinto C, Sun B, Li S, Kozink DM, Benjamin DK Jr, Demaster AK, Kruse MA, Vaughn V, Hillman S, Bird A, Jackson M, Brown T, Kishnani PS, Chen YT (2008). AAV vector-mediated reversal of hypoglycemia in canine and murine glycogen storage disease type Ia. Mol Ther, 16(4), 665-72.

    Book

    1. Chopra V, Vaughn VM, Saint S (2019). The Mentoring Guide: Helping Mentors & Mentees Succeed. Michigan Publishing Services.

    Book Chapter

    1. Fornari A, Shah DT, Vaughn VM (2022). Mentoring Health Professions Education: Evidence Informed Strategies Across the Continuum Chapter author: Vaughn VM, Press V. "Mastering Menteeship: Steps to Optimize your Mentoring Experience." Springer. January 2022.

    Editorial

    1. Vaughn VM, Flanders SA (2020). Reply to Stevenson et al. Clin Infect Dis, 72(11), e927.
    2. Vaughn VM, Linder JA (2018). Thoughtless design of the electronic health record drives overuse, but purposeful design can nudge improved patient care. BMJ Qual Saf, 27(8), 583-586.

    Letter

    1. Vaughn VM, Gandhi T, Chopra V, Malani AN, Flanders SA (2019). Reply to Truong, Hsu, and Yamaki. [Letter to the editor]. Clin Infect Dis, 69(11), 2043-2044.
    2. Fakih MG, Advani SD, Vaughn VM (2019). Diagnosis of urinary tract infections: need for a reflective rather than reflexive approach. [Letter to the editor]. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 40(7), 834-835.

    Other

    1. Patel P, Vaughn VM, Gupta A, Mann JD, Meddings J (2016). Evidence Review of Strategies to Reduce Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) and Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) in the Intensive Care Setting.
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