Natalie Purcell, PhD, MPA

I am a sociologist who specializes in the study of violence, trauma, and pain across healthcare contexts. My work uses mixed methods drawn from the social sciences and the humanities, as well as program-evaluation and implementation-science techniques.

I am jointly appointed at UCSF and at the San Francisco VA Health Care System, where I serve as the Whole Health Program Director and Qualitative Core Director at the Center for Data to Discovery and Delivery Innovation.

Since joining the VA in 2011, my research has centered on understanding the impact of violence and combat trauma in the lives of US military veterans, identifying and evaluating care interventions to address violence-related trauma and pain among veterans, and identifying ways to reduce violence against healthcare workers. My work at VA involves not only violence and trauma-related research, but also transformation of the institutional culture to promote organizational health and patient centered care.