About

David A. Ganz is a Professor-in-Residence in the Department of Medicine at UCLA. His research focuses on various aspects of healthcare, including fall injury prevention in older adults, care coordination across healthcare systems, and the use of electronic health record data for clinical trials. He has contributed to the development and evaluation of interventions aimed at improving patient safety, especially among vulnerable populations such as the elderly and veterans. Ganz's work involves epidemiology, health services research, and the implementation of clinical practices to enhance care quality and safety. His publications reflect a strong emphasis on fall prevention, healthcare utilization, and the integration of innovative data analysis methods to inform clinical decision-making and policy. He is actively involved in advancing strategies to reduce fall injuries, improve care delivery, and optimize health outcomes for high-need patient groups.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Physical therapy
• Emergency medicine
• Gerontology
• Internal medicine
• Computer Security
• Nursing
• Psychiatry
• Surgery
• Intensive care medicine
• Medical emergency
• Family medicine
• Physical medicine and rehabilitation
• Environmental health

Selected publications

• Immune activation from M. tuberculosis screening tests predicts mortality

  GeroScience · 2026-04-27

  articleOpen access

  Impaired immune responses are a key feature of aging; however, there are few laboratory tests that link these responses to clinical outcomes. Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) for tuberculosis screening quantify release of interferon-gamma by T-cells, and the difference between unstimulated and mitogen-stimulated T-cells is assessed for test validity. We assess this measure's relationship with all-cause mortality. We obtained the most recent negative and indeterminate outpatient IGRAs from a large health system along with demographics, frailty, lymphocyte count, and inflammatory markers. We removed individuals on hemodialysis or immunosuppressive medications. We assessed the association of mitogen-nil with mortality at 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression. Among 16,104 individuals, reported mitogen-nil ranged from < 0.01 to ≥ 10 IU/mL, and median (IQR) age was 64 (57, 72). Cumulative mortality (95% CI) at 5 years was estimated at 28% (23%-33%) for values 0-1 versus 19% (18%-19%) ≥ 10. In Cox regression, relative to values ≥ 10, values from 0-1 had hazard ratios for mortality at 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years of 2.77 (1.47-5.22), 2.22 (1.41-3.50), and 1.76 (1.31-2.36). Among those with data, adding lymphocyte count did not alter associations. Lower T-cell response to mitogen stimulation in IGRAs is associated with greater mortality. This common test may provide additional information to risk-stratify patients and as a phenotype of impaired immune response.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Endpoint assessment via routinely collected data generates estimates comparable to randomized controlled trial data: analysis of a cluster-randomized trial on fall injury prevention

  Journal of Clinical Epidemiology · 2025-02-10

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Routinely collected data (RCD) from healthcare claims and encounters are increasingly used for outcomes in randomized trials; however, methods for estimating the validity and relative precision of RCD-derived outcomes compared to those from conventional outcome ascertainment are limited. We developed an approach to measuring validity and relative precision of RCD and quantifying uncertainty. METHODS: We reanalyzed data from the Strategies to Reduce Injuries and Develop Confidence in Elders (STRIDE) cluster-randomized, controlled trial. Eighty-six primary care practices in 10 US healthcare systems were randomized to either a multifactorial intervention delivered by nurse falls care managers, or enhanced usual care, with 5451 persons age ≥ 70 at increased fall injury risk enrolled in the study. We estimated the hazard ratio (HR) and confidence interval (CI) for STRIDE's primary outcome (time to first serious fall injury) using original study data and RCD. The ratio of the RCD HR to original HR ("ratio of HRs") measured validity. The confidence limit ratio (CLR; upper divided by lower confidence limits of CI) measured precision, with the ratio of the CLR with RCD to the CLR from the original study data ("ratio of CLRs"), measuring relative precision. We estimated uncertainty around the ratio of HRs and ratio of CLRs using bootstrapped 95% CIs and performed sensitivity analyses to assess the effects of adaptations needed to use RCD. RESULTS: Among the original sample of 5451 study participants, 5036 (92%) were linked to RCD. The intervention to control HR was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.78-1.07) in RCD, compared to 0.92 (95% CI: 0.80-1.06) in the original data. Using all RCD through STRIDE's administrative end date, the ratio of HRs was 1.00 (95% CI: 0.89-1.11) and ratio of CLRs was 1.03 (95% CI: 0.96-1.06). The CI around ratio of HRs was about three-fold wider for RCD than for the original STRIDE data in individuals who linked to RCD. Relative precision of RCD improved with increased length of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Relying solely on RCD to ascertain the primary outcome in STRIDE would have resulted in similar point estimates and confidence limits for the treatment effect as in the original data. However, there was meaningful uncertainty around the estimate of validity. Efforts to validate RCD-derived outcomes for use as clinical trial endpoints should include measurement of uncertainty around validity estimates.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Dissemination, adaptation, and uptake of patient-facing materials to improve care coordination in primary care

  PEC Innovation · 2025-03-02 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  We sought to improve patients' experience of care coordination by promoting the uptake of patient-facing tools with evidence of sustained use in Veterans Affairs (VA) primary care clinics. We disseminated tools, adapted and improved tools in response to feedback, and tracked real-world uptake. We conducted outreach to leadership and frontline providers at local, regional, and national levels. We collaborated with frontline providers and veteran patients using human-centered design approaches to guide tool adaptation. We assessed dissemination and real-world uptake through website analytics and QR code tracking. Tools included paper pamphlets that explained care processes, provided contact information, and answered frequently asked questions. Feedback resulted in use of larger fonts; pictures and colors; less dense text; and QR codes. Discussions led to development of new tools addressing current challenges coordinating care with VA-paid community providers. We observed substantial uptake (>2000 tool page views, >3000 QR code accesses). Simple patient-facing tools are valuable to patients and frontline providers as evidenced by voluntary uptake despite competing demands. Tools with evidence of sustained uptake were adapted to address current challenges with navigating care and care coordination among VA and non-VA providers. QR codes enabled tracking of real-world uptake. • Educational materials can support care coordination and health system navigation. • Patient-facing materials benefit from iterative testing and feedback. • Developing locally customizable materials is useful in large health care systems. • Veteran patients preferred tools with basic information and icons or pictures. • QR codes linked to up-to-date online information and measured real-world uptake.

  PublisherDOI

• The Role of Screentime and Family Resiliency in Overweight/Obesity in Children and Children with Developmental Disabilities Before and During COVID-19

  Children · 2025-12-31

  articleOpen access

  Background/Objectives: This study examines factors associated with child overweight/obesity (OW/OB), pre-COVID-19 and during the COVID-19 pandemic, among all U.S. children aged 10–17 years, with or without developmental disabilities (DD) and, separately, among the subgroup of children diagnosed with a DD. Methods: Using data from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH, 2018–2021), we applied descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analyses to estimate the odds ratios of associations between family resilience, screen time, and childhood overweight/obesity. Family resilience measures families’ communication and problem-solving behaviors. Screentime is time spent on TV, computer, cellphone or electronic devices. Results: In descriptive analyses, during COVID-19, 35.8% of all children were identified as OW/OB compared to 32.8% pre-COVID-19—a weighted increase of 3.0%. Among children with developmental disabilities, OW/OB increased from 37.4% to 39.3%. Children reporting ≥4 h of screentime use increased from pre-COVID-19 to during COVID-19 in both groups (All Children: pre-COVID: 33.5%, during COVID: 41.6%; Developmental Disabilities: pre-COVID: 39.9%, during COVID: 49.4%). Among all children, there was a positive and strong association between screentime use and OW/OB at both pre- and during COVID-19 years. Children belonging to households with low family resiliency had 1.31 times the odds of being overweight/obese (95% CI, 1.06–1.63, p &lt; 0.05) before the pandemic. However, these results were not significant after the pandemic. Conclusions: Prevalence of overweight/obesity in all children and children with DD during the COVID-19 pandemic continued to rise. Screentime was found to be a key determinant in increased weight status. Contrary to our hypothesis, family resilience failed to emerge as a significant protective factor for OW/OB; additional research is needed to explore the protective role of family resiliency on childhood obesity. Study findings may provide insights into developing best practices and tailored interventions with early OW/OB screening and programs tailored towards the youngest group of children aged 10–12 years or below.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Jinty Nelson in Thirteen Articles

  Transactions of the Royal Historical Society · 2025-07-23

  articleOpen access

  Abstract This collection gathers thirteen contributions by a number of historians, friends, colleagues and/or students of Jinty’s, who were asked to pick their favourite article by her and say a few words about it for an event held in her memory on 15 January 2025 at King’s College London. We offer this collection in print now for a wider audience not so much because it has any claim to be exhaustive or authoritative, but because taken all together these pieces seemed to add up to a useful retrospective on Jinty’s work, its wider context, and its impact on the field over the decades. We hope that, for those who know her work well already, this may be an opportunity to remember some of her classic (and a few less classic) articles, while at the same time serving as an accessible introduction to her research for anyone who knew her without necessarily knowing about her field, as well as for a new and younger generation of readers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Interferon-γ Release Assay Control Results Are Associated With All-Cause Mortality

  Innovation in Aging · 2025-12-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Impaired immune responses are a key feature of aging. However, there are no clinical tests of immune function. Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) for tuberculosis screening may provide such a measure. We assess this measure’s relationship with all-cause mortality. IGRAs quantify release of interferon-gamma by T-cells and the difference between unstimulated and mitogen-stimulated T-cells is assessed for test validity. This mitogen-nil difference captures T-cell function. We obtained all negative and indeterminate IGRA tests from a large health system along with demographics, frailty, and area deprivation index (ADI) data. We limited our sample to the most recent test given to outpatients not receiving hemodialysis or immunosuppressive medications. We assessed the association of the mitogen-nil difference with mortality at 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years by Cox regression. Among 16,105 unique individuals, reported mitogen-nil results ranged from &amp;lt; 0.01 to &amp;gt; 10 IU/mL. Relative to values from 0-1, values &amp;gt;10 had HRs (95%) for mortality of 0.33 (0.18 - 0.63), 0.41 (0.26 - 0.65), and 0.52 (0.39 - 0.70) at 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years respectively after adjustment for age, sex, and test result (indeterminate versus negative). Including frailty, HRs were 0.36 (0.19 - 0.68), 0.45 (0.29 - 0.70), and 0.57 (0.42 - 0.77). With frailty and ADI, HRs were 0.41 (0.20 - 0.83), 0.50 (0.30 - 0.84), 0.60 (0.43 - 0.83). Greater T-cell response to mitogen stimulation in IGRAs is associated with lower hazard of mortality. This common, commercially available lab test may provide additional information to risk-stratify patients.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Development and Evaluation of a Survey to Assess Clinician and Organizational Factors Associated with Goals of Care Communication

  Journal of General Internal Medicine · 2025-10-24

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Medications for opioid use disorder in traditional medicare beneficiaries: associations with age

  Health Affairs Scholar · 2025-02-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) have increased in older adults (age ≥ 50). Medications for OUD (MOUD) treat OUD effectively; however, limited data exist on whether older adults with OUD are provided MOUD. Using 2016-2020 claims data from Medicare beneficiaries with a new episode of OUD, we calculated rates of MOUD initiation (first dispensing within 14 days of index event), engagement (dispensing of a second MOUD within 34 days of initiation), and retention (receiving MOUD consistently over 180 days). Among beneficiaries with qualifying index events (N = 40 336), 17%, 38%, and 45% were ages 20-49, 50-64, and ≥ 65, respectively. Five hundred and three beneficiaries with a qualifying index event (1.3%) initiated MOUD, 461 (1.1%) reached engagement, and 309 (0.8%) were retained. Multivariable logistic regressions showed older age was associated with reduced MOUD initiation (compared with those aged 20-49, adjusted odds ratios [aORs] were 0.79 [95% CI, 0.64-0.98] and 0.36 [95% CI, 0.25-0.51] for ages 50-64 and ≥65, respectively). Reduced MOUD initiation was associated with female sex (aOR = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.61-0.89) and increasing comorbidity score (aOR = 0.76 per 1-point increase; 95% CI, 0.72-0.80). These results suggest that in addition to general efforts to increase uptake of MOUD, age-specific strategies are needed.

  PublisherDOI

• Assessing readiness to use electronic health record data for outcome ascertainment in clinical trials – A case study

  Contemporary Clinical Trials · 2024-05-11 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Issue Information

  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2024-02-01

  paratextOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Enhancing the Efficiency of Pragmatic Clinical Trials Using Administrative Data: Analysis of the STRIDE Study

  NIH · $2.0M · 2022–2027

Frequent coauthors

• Debra Saliba

  RAND Corporation

  147 shared

• Susan E. Stockdale

  Center for the Study of Healthcare Provider Behavior

  134 shared

• Danielle E. Rose

  VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

  119 shared

• Neil S. Wenger

  117 shared

• Elizabeth M. Yano

  UCLA Health

  112 shared

• Brian S. Mittman

  Kaiser Permanente

  93 shared

• Martin L. Lee

  Texas Tech University

  93 shared

• Lisa V. Rubenstein

  RAND Corporation

  91 shared

Education

• M.D.

  University of California, Los Angeles

• B.A.

  University of California, Los Angeles