Allina Health remains dedicated to pioneering research that transforms patient care, strengthens community health, and advances global health outcomes. Throughout 2025, our researchers and operational teams have continued to push the boundaries of medical science, working diligently to improve patient outcomes, refine healthcare models, and implement leading-edge innovations.
Our research is distinguished by its extensive scope, high volume of clinical trials, population based studies, robust data analytics, and diagnostic research. The core administrative group supports all research activities, providing the backbone for operations that are organized into these categories:
- cancer
- cardiovascular
- neuroscience & mental health
- rehabilitation and orthopedics
- care delivery
Innovative research partnerships at both local and national levels have allowed us to build on the outstanding achievements of our teams and gain access to promising therapeutics otherwise unavailable. For our providers and scientists, these collaborations create opportunities to shape the future of healthcare for generations to come.
Please see the Allina Health Research 2025 annual report for more detailed information on research projects.
Awards
The Research Innovation Awards (RIA) grant program supports Allina Health’s goals through hypothesis-driven and evidence-based competitive research grants. Research Innovation Awards were awarded to the following internal projects in 2025:
- Senior Health Co-Care – Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Home-Based Primary Care Program for High-Risk Seniors
Investigators: Emily Downing, MD and Abbey Sidebottom, PhD - Beyond Self-Care: Evaluating an Organizational Intervention Using Spiritual Care to Reduce Nurse Burnout z and Turnover
Investigators: Stephanie Edmonds, PhD, Aaron Unseth, and Tim Usset - Understanding the Facilitators and Barriers for Multimodal Pain Management Among Cancer Patients
Investigator: Vasudha Goel, MD - Breaking Bread in Two Worlds: Social and Emotional Outcomes of In-Person Versus Virtual Commensality Groups
Investigators: Mary Beth Lardizabal, DO and Heidi Woodland-Leine, PhD - Glucagon Like Peptide 1 Agonist (GLP-1a) Effects on Ultrasound Measured Gastric Emptying: Implications for preoperative protocols
Investigators: Christopher Martin, MD; David Tierney, MD; Jon Faust, MD and Terry Rosborough, MD - Rehabilitation Open Provider Encounter Notes: Assessment of Comprehension and Communication through Electronic Health Records Systems (ReOPEN ACCESS)
Investigator: Katy H. O’Brien, PhD, CCC-SLP - NearWave Optical Molecular Imaging for Neoadjuvant Therapy Evaluation (NOMINaTE Trial)
Investigator: Yuliya Olimpiadi, MD - Influence of prefrontal cortex activity on balance performance in chronic stroke survivors
Investigator: Shraddha Srivastava, PhD
