Dr. Smolderen is a PhD medical psychologist by training; she also completed a 2-year training program on Outcomes Research through the American Heart Association-Pharmaceutical Roundtable Outcomes Research Fellowship program.
Dr. Smolderen’s training as a PhD medical psychologist and outcomes researcher allows her to understand and quantify the mechanisms that would fit a broader conceptual model of risk, including patients’ psychological and socio-economic status. Quality of vascular care, mental health, and patient-centered outcomes assessment in cardiovascular populations have been the focus of her work. To successfully manage chronic diseases such as peripheral artery disease (PAD), a broader, holistic model is very much needed. In her work, Dr. Smolderen has worked directly with patients to help understand what key issues patients with PAD are dealing with and to define preferences, quality of care and outcomes that are meaningful to patients as seen from their perspective. The overarching goal of Dr. Smolderen’s research in PAD has always been to develop a multidisciplinary patient-centered management program adopting a broader conceptual model of risk, to help improve the outcomes of patients with PAD.