Ms. Ofstead is an epidemiologist with 25 years of research experience. As the company founder and CEO, she oversees a multidisciplinary team that designs studies, conducts real-world outcomes research, and provides insights about improving the quality of healthcare. Since 1996, Ofstead’s team has worked with healthcare providers, payors, employers, health & wellness program vendors, and medical products manufacturers.
Ms. Ofstead has been the principal investigator on numerous studies related to chronic disease management, infection control, and decision-making by healthcare providers and patients. Her studies have been published in respected peer-reviewed journals, and her work has been cited in policy guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Joint Commission, and the Infection Diseases Society of America. She currently serves as a reviewer for the American Public Health Association and the journals Vaccine and the American Journal of Infection Control.
Early in her career, Ms. Ofstead worked at InterStudy, where she organized conferences related to healthcare policy, treatment guidelines, and outcomes management. She joined the American Group Practice Association (now AMGA) in 1991, where she managed a medical outcomes study that tracked the outcomes of care for asthma, diabetes, hip replacement, and cataract surgery in 35 clinics. During that time, she served as a member of the Work Group on Computerization of Patient Records commissioned by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. She is nationally recognized for her expertise in health risk appraisal, health promotion, and survey methodology, and helped launch a software start-up company that pioneered the development of automated instruments for measuring functional status, quality of life, and clinical outcomes.
Ms. Ofstead attended the University of Minnesota, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, and Walden University. She has earned a BA in Public Health and Medical History and a Master of Science in Public Health, and served as a Visiting Graduate Student at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Vaccine Research Lab. Before embarking on her public health career, she worked in hospitals and research labs for 11 years, including six years as a clinical lab technician. She has served on the Boards of Directors for the Society of Prospective Medicine and the Friends of Oxford Pool, and is a member of the Faculty/Industry Engagement Network of the University of Minnesota-Rochester.