Tom Summerfelt

As the Chief Research Officer at Feeding America, Tom led the development and execution of Feeding America’s strategic research agenda—a roadmap for developing a deeper understanding of hunger in America, identifying the transformative strategies that will solve hunger and measuring and reporting the organization’s progress along the way. He partnered with world-class external research experts to develop and conduct some of the most comprehensive and important studies on food insecurity—studies that are guiding changes in how our country addresses domestic hunger from the ground up. Tom provided leadership that enhanced the alignment of data needs and supported the organization and the network in collecting data to inform success toward meeting Feeding America’s strategic priorities. Prior to Feeding America, Tom served as the North America President of Convergence CT, where he worked collaboratively with global healthcare providers, life science companies, and payers in using technology to leverage real-world data to improve outcomes across the healthcare ecosystem. Before that, Tom served as the Vice President of Research & Innovation at Advocate Health Care, where he led a department that managed over 600 IRB-approved, clinical research studies at any given time and produced over 200 publications annually. Tom has spent over 20 years using research and program evaluation as vehicles to create collaboration and partnership among organizations, to make community programs more efficient and effective, and to demonstrate impact in the lives of people. His work has included diverse projects that share a common focus on improving outcomes for vulnerable populations and reducing social disparities.

Courses Taught

• 611: Program Planning & Evaluation

Publications

• Villines D, Summerfelt WT, Spalding JR, Kitt TM, Kristy RM, Houle CR. Use of Initial Noninvasive Cardiac Testing and Association with Downstream Healthcare Resource: A Retrospective Review of Resources Used Across a 12-Month Window for Probable Type I Myocardial Infarction Patients. Pharmacoecon Open. 2019 May 17. doi: 10.1007/s41669-019-0128-1. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31102147.
• Sriram K, Sulo S, VanDerBosch G, Kozmic S, Sokolowski M, Summerfelt WT, Partridge J, Hegazi R, Nikolich S. Nutrition-Focused Quality Improvement Program Results in Significant Readmission and Length of Stay Reductions for Malnourished Surgical Patients. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2018 Aug;42(6):1093-1098. doi: 10.1002/jpen.1040. Epub 2018 Feb 2. PMID: 29392736
• Dabbous F, Dolecek TA, Friedewald SM, Tossas-Milligan KY, Macarol T, Summerfelt WT, Rauscher GH. Performance characteristics of digital vs film screen mammography in community practice. Breast J. 2018 May;24(3):369-372. doi: 10.1111/tbj.12942. Epub 2017 Nov 5. PMID: 29105900.
• Sulo S, Feldstein J, Partridge J, Schwander B, Sriram K, Summerfelt WT. Budget Impact of a Comprehensive Nutrition-Focused Quality Improvement Program for Malnourished Hospitalized Patients. Am Health Drug Benefits. 2017 Jul;10(5):262-270. PMID: 28975010.
• Rauscher GH, Dabbous F, Dolecek TA, Friedewald SM, Tossas-Milligan K, Macarol T, Summerfelt WT. Absence of an anticipated racial disparity in interval breast cancer within a large health care organization. Ann Epidemiol. 2017 Oct;27(10):654-658. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2017.09.002. Epub 2017 Sep 20. PMID: 28964641.
• Sriram K, Sulo S, Summerfelt WT. Author Response. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2017 May;41(4):528-529. doi: 10.1177/0148607117696327. No abstract available. PMID: 28445678.
• Dabbous FM, Dolecek TA, Berbaum ML, Friedewald SM, Summerfelt WT, Hoskins K, Rauscher GH. Impact of a False-Positive Screening Mammogram on Subsequent Screening Behavior and Stage at Breast Cancer Diagnosis. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2017 Mar;26(3):397-403. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-16-0524. Epub 2017 Feb 9. PMID: 28183826.
• Shortell SM, Poon BY, Ramsay PP, Rodriguez HP, Ivey SL, Huber T, Rich J, Summerfelt T. A Multilevel Analysis of Patient Engagement and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Primary Care Practices of Accountable Care Organizations. J Gen Intern Med. 2017 Jun;32(6):640-647. doi: 10.1007/s11606-016-3980-z. Epub 2017 Feb 3. PMID: 28160187.
• Sriram K, Sulo S, VanDerBosch G, Partridge J, Feldstein J, Hegazi RA, Summerfelt WT. A Comprehensive Nutrition-Focused Quality Improvement Program Reduces 30-Day Readmissions and Length of Stay in Hospitalized Patients. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2017 Mar;41(3):384-391. doi: 10.1177/0148607116681468. Epub 2016 Dec 6. PMID: 27923890.
• 10. Summerfelt WT, Sulo S, Robinson A, Chess D, Catanzano K. Scalable hospital at home with virtual physician visits: pilot study. Am J Manag Care. 2015 Oct;21(10):675-84. PMID: 26633092.

External Professional Affiliation

• American Evaluation Association