Alok Kapoor, MD, MSc
By Merin C. MacDonald | Date published: July 12, 2024
July Researcher Spotlight: Alok Kapoor, MD, MSc
Department of Medicine physician-scientist investigates clinical disparities in underserved populations.
Alok Kapoor, MD, MSc, professor of medicine in the Divisions of Hospital Medicine and Health Systems Science, is a physician-scientist whose research focuses on anticoagulation use and underuse—specifically in underserved populations, transitions of care, and clinical decision support tools to improve care for patients with cardiovascular disease.
Nearly six million Americans live with atrial fibrillation (AF), an abnormality in the heart that is a major risk factor for stroke, but only about half of patients with AF receive oral anticoagulation therapy. Dr. Kapoor’s current projects focus on anticoagulation use for patients with atrial fibrillation.
Dr. Kapoor is currently investigating the use of anticoagulants by underserved populations. In his R21 project funded by the Department of Health and Human Services' National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Dr. Kapoor is leading a team at UMass Chan in partnership with Dr. Geoff Barnes who is leading a team at the University of Michigan, to investigate disparities in anticoagulation treatments for African American patients. As part of the study, African American patients are sharing their experiences of being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and the setbacks they faced during treatment. Using recorded videos of patients’ stories, Dr. Kapoor and his colleagues are testing the power of the stories in a randomized feasibility trial to help educate and persuade other African American patients to take anticoagulants to prevent stroke and improve their health. "The team has made excellent progress in the development of nearly 50 patient video clips alongside 50 provider videos as a comparison,” said Dr. Kapoor.
Dr. Kapoor is also a principal investigator on an R01 project funded by the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) that is looking at how health care providers interface with a decision support tool in the electronic medical record. In this ongoing project, Dr. Kapoor, his co-PI, David McManus, MD, ScM, chair of the Department of Medicine, and their colleagues aim to study the effectiveness of the tool, refine it as needed, and measure its impact on how providers prescribe oral anticoagulants.
In addition to his clinical practice and research, Dr. Kapoor serves as an advisor for the Department of Medicine Clinical Research Core, where he mentors faculty in developing research projects. He also works with clinical faculty and guides them as they navigate and prepare for promotions at UMass Chan.
Dr. Kapoor earned his medical degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at New York University and a fellowship in general internal medicine at Boston University. He also holds a master’s degree in epidemiology from Boston University. Before joining the faculty at UMass Chan/UMMH in 2014, Dr. Kapoor served on the faculty at Boston University and was an attending at Boston Medical Center in Boston, MA. He also served as the Medical Officer of the Day at the VA in Boston from 2004-2018.
Dr. Kapoor is a well-respected physician-scientist in the Department of Medicine and we thank him for the critical work he is doing to investigate disparities in clinical care.