Biosketch

A physical therapist for more than 30 years, Dr. Rasch was one of the first clinical specialists in neurology to be board certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. From 2001 to 2007 she was a service fellow in the Office of Analysis and Epidemiology at the National Center for Health Statistics, CDC. During this time, she was actively involved in the Washington Group on Disability Statistics, an international working group developing measures of disability suitable for censuses and surveys worldwide. As Chief of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Section in the NIH Rehabilitation Medicine Department, she currently supports projects involving collaborations with major institutions, and has been instrumental in implementing an inter-agency agreement with the Social Security Administration to examine their disability determination process.

Her research is directed toward promoting the health, participation, and full inclusion of people with disabilities in family and community life by informing and impacting health services, programs, and policies. More specifically, she studies the development and consequences of secondary conditions among adults with disabilities, health care delivery related to these conditions, and the effects of these conditions on function over time. Dr. Rasch has co-authored nearly 30 articles. She is a member of the Editorial Board for the Disability and Health Journal.

Awards

Dr. Rasch received faculty awards from the University of Delaware and the University of Southern California, as well as a Graduate School Merit Award from the University of Maryland Baltimore. She was the recipient of a service award and a director's award from the National Center for Health Statistics. In 2009, she was honored with a Clinical Center's Director's Award in science from NIH.

Selected Publications

BOOKS and BOOK CHAPTERS

Gardner E Rasch, Baker LL: Functional Electrical Stimulation of Paralytic Muscle. In: The Dynamics of Human Biological Tissues. Eds: DP Currier, RM Nelson. FA Davis Co, Philadelphia, PA, 182-204, 1992

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Rasch EK, Hirsch R, Paulose-Ram R, Hochberg MC: Prevalence of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Persons 60 Years of Age and Older in the U.S.: Effect of Different Methods of Case Classification. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 48(4):917-926, 2003

Rasch EK, Altman BM, Madans JH: The impact of assistive device use on disability measurement. In: International Views on Disability Measures: Moving Toward Comparative Measurement. Research in Social Science and Disability, 4:247-262, 2006

Dillon CF, Rasch EK, Gu Q, Hirsch R: Prevalence of Knee Osteoarthritis in the United States: Arthritis Data From the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1991-1994. Journal of Rheumatology, 33(11):2271-9, 2006

Dillon C, Hirsch R, Rasch EK, Gu Q: Symptomatic Hand Osteoarthritis in the United States: Prevalence and Functional Impairment Estimates from the Third U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1991-1994). American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86(1):12-21, 2007

Rasch EK, Hochberg MC, Magder L, Magaziner J, Altman BM: Health of Community Dwelling Adults with Mobility Limitations in the United States: Prevalent Health Conditions. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 89(2):210-8, 2008

Rasch EK, Magder L, Hochberg MC, Magaziner J, Altman BM: Health of Community Dwelling Adults with Mobility Limitations in the United States: Incidence of Secondary Health Conditions. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 89(2):219-30, 2008

Gulley S, Rasch EK, Chan L: Ongoing coverage for ongoing care: Access, utilization and out of pocket spending burden among uninsured working aged adults with chronic conditions and disabilities in the United States. In press: American Journal of Public Health, Feb;101(2):368-75, 2011

Gulley S, Rasch EK, Chan L: If we build it, who will come? Working age adults with chronic health care needs and the medical home. Med Care, Feb;49(2):149-55, 2011

Gulley S, Rasch EK, Chan L. The Complex Web of Health: Relationships between Chronic Conditions, Disability, and Health Services. In press: Public Health Reports

Brandt DE, Houtenville AJ, Huynh M, Chan L, Rasch EK. Connecting Contemporary Paradigms to Social Security Administration's Disability Evaluation Process. In press: Journal of Disability Policy Studies