Alanna Kulchak Rahm, Ph.D., M.S., C.G.C.
Division of Genomic Medicine
Ph.D. University of Colorado Denver
M.S. University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
B.S. Colorado State University
Biography
Alanna Kulchak Rahm, is a certified genetic counselor, implementation scientist, and Program Director in the Division of Genomic Medicine. Specializing in implementation of genomic medicine in healthcare systems throughout her career, Dr. Rahm joined NHGRI in January 2024. Prior to joining NHGRI, she was a full Professor at Geisinger in the Department of Genomic Health after spending 12 years in the Institute for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Colorado. For over 25 years she conducted research in healthcare systems and led research efforts on the multilevel complexities at the patient, provider, and system level surrounding the implementation of genomic decision support tools and precision health programs in real-world settings. She has conducted research on the utilization of genetic information by individuals and healthcare systems, communication of genomic information, population genomic screening implementation, and utilization of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Other research included new paradigms for identifying individuals with genomic risk and new service delivery models for genomics, ethical and legal implications of genomic information, familial implications of genetic test results, patient and provider understanding of genomics, and patient engagement in research. She has published over 100 papers in the field and served on multiple working groups and grant review panels for both NIH and PCORI.
Dr. Rahm is a dedicated mentor and tireless advocate for the use of implementation science in genomics and genetic counseling research. In addition to her many years of work in the field, Dr. Rahm completed formal implementation science training as part of the inaugural cohort in the NIH-funded Training Institute in Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (TIDIRH). She went on to serve as faculty mentor for multiple versions of the Training Institute in Dissemination and Implementation Research in Cancer (TIDIRC) and is excited to co-lead the first ever Training Institute in Dissemination and Implementation Research in Genomics and Precision Public Health (TIDIR-GPPH). While at Geisinger she also co-created the Dissemination and Implementation Science Community (DISCo) to build capacity and encourage implementation throughout the health care system. She has conducted multiple trainings in implementation science in genomic medicine, advised in course development, and mentored multiple individuals including undergraduate interns, genetic counseling students, doctoral students, and junior faculty.
Publications
Cragun D, Salvati ZM, Schneider JL, Burnett-Hartman AN, Epstein MM, Hunter JE, Liang SY, Lowery J, Lu CY, Pawloski PA, Schlieder V, Sharaf RN, Williams MS, Rahm AK. Identifying factors and causal chains associated with optimal implementation of Lynch syndrome tumor screening: An application of coincidence analysis. Genet Med. 2024 Jun 28:101201. doi: 10.1016/j.gim.2024.101201. Epub ahead of print.
Buchanan AH, Rahm AK, Sturm AC. A new agenda for implementing population genomic screening. Public Health Genomics. 2024 Jun 22. doi: 10.1159/000539987. Epub ahead of print.
Jones LK, Romagnoli KM, Schubert TJ, Clegg K, Kirchner HL, Hu Y, Cawley D, Norelli V, Williams MS, Gidding SS, Rahm AK. Using implementation science to develop a familial hypercholesterolemia screening program in primary care: The CARE-FH study. J Clin Lipidol. 2024 Mar-Apr;18(2):e176-e188. doi: 10.1016/j.jacl.2024.01.001. Epub 2024 Jan 4.
Linder JE, Tao R, Chung WK, Kiryluk K, Liu C, Weng C, Connolly JJ, Hakonarson H, Harr M, Leppig KA, Jarvik GP, Veenstra DL, Aufox S, Chisholm RL, Gordon AS, Hoell C, Rasmussen-Torvik LJ, Smith ME, Holm IA, Miller EM, Prows CA, Elskeally O, Kullo IJ, Lee C, Jose S, Manolio TA, Rowley R, Padi-Adjirackor NA, Wilmayani NK, City B, Wei WQ, Wiesner GL, Rahm AK, Williams JL, Williams MS, Peterson JF. Prospective, multi-site study of healthcare utilization after actionable monogenic findings from clinical sequencing. Am J Hum Genet. 2023 Oct 18:S0002-9297(23)00359-2. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2023.10.006. Epub ahead of print.
Allen CG, Olstad DL, Kahkoska AR, Guan Y, Ramos PS, Steinberg J, Staras SAS, Lumpkins CY, Milko LV, Turbitt E, Rahm AK, Saylor KW, Best S, Hatch A, Santangelo I, Roberts MC. Extending an Antiracism Lens to the Implementation of Precision Public Health Interventions. Am J Public Health. 2023 Aug 31:e1-e9. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2023.307386. Epub ahead of print.
O'Shea R, Crook A, Jacobs C, Kentwell M, Gleeson M, Tucker KM, Hampel H, Rahm AK, Taylor N, Lewis S, Rankin NM. A mainstreaming oncogenomics model: improving the identification of Lynch syndrome. Front Oncol. 2023 May 26;13:1140135. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1140135.
Salvati ZM, Rahm AK, Williams MS, Ladd I, Schlieder V, Atondo J, Schneider JL, Epstein MM, Lu CY, Pawloski PA, Sharaf RN, Liang SY, Burnett-Hartman AN, Hunter JE, Burton-Akright J, Cragun D. A picture is worth a thousand words: advancing the use of visualization tools in implementation science through process mapping and matrix heat mapping. Implement Sci Commun. 2023 Apr 25;4(1):43. doi: 10.1186/s43058-023-00424-4.
Campbell-Salome G, Jones LK, Walters NL, Morgan KM, Brangan A, Ladd IG, McGowan MP, Wilemon K, Schmidlen TJ, Simmons E, Schwartz MLB, McMinn MN, Tricou E, Rahm AK, Ahmed CD, Sturm AC. Optimizing communication strategies and designing a comprehensive program to facilitate cascade testing for familial hypercholesterolemia. BMC Health Serv Res. 2023 Apr 5;23(1):340. doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09304-y.
Romagnoli KM, Rahm AK, Jonas MC, Schwiter R, Klinger T, Ladd I, Salvati Z, DiNucci A, Blasi PR, Sheridan L, Scrol A, Henrikson NB. Human-centered design study to inform traceback cascade genetic testing programs at three integrated health systems. Public Health Genomics. 2023 Mar 3. doi: 10.1159/000529852.
Baker A, Tolwinski K, Atondo J, Davis FD, Goehringer J, Jones LK, Pisieczko CJ, Sturm AC, Williams JL, Williams MS, Rahm AK*, Buchanan AH*. Understanding the Patient Experience of Receiving Clinically Actionable Genetic Results from the MyCode Community Health Initiative, a Population-Based Genomic Screening Initiative. J Pers Med. 2022 Sep 15;12(9). doi: 10.3390/jpm12091511.
Jones, L. K., Strande, N. T., Calvo, E. M., Chen, J., Rodriguez, G., McCormick, C. Z., Hallquist, M. L. G., Savatt, J. M., Rocha, H., Williams, M. S., Sturm, A. C., Buchanan, A. H., Glasgow, R. E., Martin, C. L. Rahm, A. K. (2022). A RE-AIM Framework Analysis of DNA-Based Population Screening: Using Implementation Science to Translate Research Into Practice in a Healthcare System. Frontiers in Genetics, 13. doi:10.3389/fgene.2022.883073.
Leppig KA, Rahm AK, Appelbaum P, Aufox S, Bland ST, Buchanan A, Christensen KD, Chung WK, Clayton EW, Crosslin D, Denny J, DeVange S, Gordon A, Green RC, Hakonarson H, Harr MH, Henrikson N, Hoell C, Holm IA, Kullo IJ, Jarvik GP, Lammers PE, Larson EB, Lindor NM, Marasa M, Myers MF, Perez E, Peterson JF, Pratap S, Prows CA, Ralston JD, Rasouly HM, Roden DM, Sharp RR, Singh R, Shaibi G, Smith ME, Sturm A, Thiese HA, Van Driest SL, Williams J, Williams MS, Wynn J, Blout Zawatsky CL, Wiesner GL. The reckoning: The return of genomic results to 1444 participants across the eMERGE3 Network. Genet Med. 2022 May;24(5):1130-1138. doi: 10.1016/j.gim.2022.01.015. Epub 2022 Feb 23.
Hao J, Hassen D, Gudgeon JM, Snyder SR, Hampel H, Williams MS, Sharaf RN, Lu CY, Williams JL, Schlieder V, Rahm AK. Economic Evaluation of Universal Lynch Syndrome Screening Protocols among Newly Diagnosed Patients with Colorectal Cancer. J Pers Med. 2021 Dec 2;11(12). doi: 10.3390/jpm11121284.
DiNucci, A.; Henrikson, N.B.; Jonas, M.C.; Basra, S.; Blasi, P.; Brown, J.; Esplin, E.D.; Hassen, D.; Hao, J.; Hu, Y.; Klinger, T.; Ladd, I.; Leppig, K.; Lewis, M.; Meyer, M.; Ney, S.; Ramaprasan, A.; Romagnoli, K.; Salvati, Z.; Scrol, A.; Schwiter, R.; Sheridan, L.; Somasundaram, B.; Suwannarat, P.; Wagner, J.K.; Rahm, A.K. Feasibility and Assessment of a Cascade Traceback Screening Program (FACTS): Protocol for a Multisite Study to Implement and Assess an Ovarian Cancer Traceback Cascade Testing Program. J. Pers. Med. 2021, 11, 543.
Rahm AK, Walton NA, Feldman LK, Jenkins C, Jenkins T, Person TN, Peterson J, Reynolds JC, Robinson PN, Woltz MA, Williams MS, Segal MM. User testing of a diagnostic decision support system with machine-assisted chart review to facilitate clinical genomic diagnosis. BMJ Health Care Inform. 2021 May;28(1). doi: 10.1136/bmjhci-2021-100331.
Jones LK, McMinn M, Kann D, Lesko M, Sturm AC, Walters N, Chen N, Fry K, Brownson RC, Gidding SS, Williams MS, Rahm AK. Evaluation of a multidisciplinary lipid clinic to improve the care of individuals with severe lipid conditions: a RE-AIM framework analysis. Implement Sci Commun. 2021 Mar 19;2(1):32. doi: 10.1186/s43058-021-00135-8.
Mozersky J, Meyer MN, Rahm AK, O'Dell SM, Buchanan A. Balancing External Validity and Concern for Psychosocial Harms in Translational Genetic Research. Ethics Hum Res. 2021 Mar;43(2):43-48. doi: 10.1002/eahr.500086.
Rahm AK, Bellcross C, Cragun D, Duquette D, Hampel H, Heald B. Implementing Universal Cancer Screening programs can help sustain genomic medicine programs. Precision Medicine. 2020 17(1), 9-13.
Rahm AK. Alternate delivery models for genetic counseling: clinical and implementation considerations. Can J Urology. 2019; 26(suppl 2): 42-3. (Invited Paper)
Rahm AK, Ladd IG, Hunter JE, Burnet-Hartman A, Liang S, Pawloski P, Lowery J, Sharaf R, Gogoi R, Hao J, Snyder S, Cragun D, Lu C, Epstein M, Williams MS. Implementing Universal Lynch Syndrome screening (IMPULSS): protocol for a multi-site study to identify strategies to implement, adapt, and sustain genomic medicine programs in different organizational contexts. (2018) BMC Health Serv Res. 18(1):824.
Goehringer JM, Bonhag MA, Jones LK, Schmidlen T, Schwartz M, Rahm AK, Williams JL, Williams MS. Generation and Implementation of a Patient-Centered and Patient-Facing Genomic Test Report in the EHR. EGEMS (Wash DC). 2018 Jun 26;6(1):14. doi: 10.5334/egems.256.
Williams MS, Buchanan AH, Davis FD, Faucett WA, Hallquist MLG, Leader JB, Martin CL, McCormick CZ, Meyer MN, Murray MF, Rahm AK, Schwartz MLB, Sturm AC, Wagner JK, Williams JL, Willard HF, Ledbetter DH. Patient-centered precision health in a learning healthcare system: Geisinger’s genomic medicine experience. (2018) Health Affairs 37(5):757-764.
Rahm AK, Bailey L, Fultz K, Fan AL, Williams JL, Buchanan AH, Davis FD, Murray MF, Williams MS. Parental attitudes and expectations towards receiving genomic test results in healthy children. (2018). Translational Behavioral Medicine. Special Issue Clinical and Public Health Genomics. 8(1):44-53.
Wagner JK, Peltz-Rauchman C, Rahm AK, Johnson CC. Precision Engagement: PMI’s success will depend upon more than genomes and big data. (2016) Genetics in Medicine.
Rahm AK, Hawkins RP, Dearing JW, Pingree S, Lomax JB, McDowell H, Morse EF, Barela B. Implementing an evidence-based breast cancer support and communication tool to newly diagnosed patients as standard care in two institutions. Transl Behav Med. 2015 Jun;5(2):198-206. doi: 10.1007/s13142-015-0305-4.
Last updated: August 21, 2024