Justin Barnes, MD, MS
Dr. Barnes is a Radiation Oncology Resident (PGY-4) and Assistant Chief Resident at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
I am currently a resident in radiation oncology at Washington University in St. Louis, and I am delighted for this opportunity to work with and learn from the Costs of Care team. I am humbled and honored to follow after former Fellows who are successful and reputable researchers and compassionate and impassioned physicians and nurses. I have been fortunate to have met several of them, who have already inspired my work.
Since my first year of medical school, my research has centered on assessing interventions that have the potential to improve access to affordable health care and ultimately cancer outcomes. My interest in the affordability of health care was sparked after I moved to St. Louis for medical school in 2016 and—within days of arriving—witnessed vast disparities in health outcomes by neighborhood and by race, which are largely driven by limited access to care and adverse social determinants of health. Most of my research has involved evaluating policies affecting health care delivery and other public policies that address social determinants of health and cost-related health care access. For example, several of my studies have examined the impact of state Medicaid expansion and other insurance-related policies on cancer outcomes, and more recent projects have explored other public policies such as state public assistance spending and state mandatory paid medical leave. In my institution, I am also developing a prospective pilot study evaluating an intervention increasing financial assistance for patients with unmet essential needs who are undergoing radiotherapy in an effort to increase the number of patients who are able to complete radiotherapy without excessive delays.
Through mentorship from the Costs of Care team, I hope to further study policies and other interventions that have the potential to mitigate financial and other social barriers to health care access among patients with cancer. I am eager to be involved in the Costs of Care team’s efforts to disseminate knowledge surrounding important health care and patient affordability issues, some of which I hope will be derived from our research findings, and to hold discussions and nurture relationships with key stakeholders with the goal of ultimately effecting positive changes in health systems and national/state policies.
Outside of my clinical duties and research interests, I enjoy cooking, cycling, hiking, sci-fi (audio)books, and especially spending time with my incredible wife and three adorable children (ages 1, 4, and 7). I am excited to be part of important research, education, and advocacy efforts to improve access to affordable health care as a Costs of Care Oncology Fellow!
Dr. Barnes completed medical school at Saint Louis University and is now a fourth-year resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Washington University School of Medicine and Siteman Cancer Center, where he currently serves as Assistant Chief Resident. His research, which has primarily focused on how cancer outcomes are affected by national- and state-level policies that can address social determinants of health and health care access, has been featured in journals such as JAMA Oncology, JAMA Network Open, and JNCI, and was recently cited in a proposed federal rule aiming to regulate insurance plans that can impair access to care and leave patients with excessive medical bills.