Jessica Thayer, MD

Research Interests

I am an early career clinical investigator with a deep commitment to improving access to high-quality chronic condition management for rural populations. I was the first rural health scholar graduate for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at WVU; while completing my rural health education I gained invaluable insight into the unique health barriers facing rural patients. I was selected as chief resident following completion of my IM training with a role focused on academic inpatient medicine services and improved resident education. During this time, I completed work as a Co-Investigator designing and implementing a novel telemedicine follow-up program for patients in West Virginia with poorly controlled chronic conditions who were recently discharged from the hospital. We found that frequent telemedicine visits conducted by interprofessional teams improved the control of chronic conditions. On completion of my chief residency position, I accepted a position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the WVU School of Medicine and have continued to focus on the healthcare challenges facing rural populations, especially those in Appalachia. I serve as the Associate Director of the Rural Track for the Internal Medicine Residency Program as well as Co-Medical Director for our Transitions of Care Program, which assists patients after hospitalization. These roles allow me to work directly with residents in expanding rural research projects and quality improvement initiatives. To further develop my research skills, I was awarded a Research Scholar position through the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute. During this two-year appointment, I completed a mixed-methods study investigating the post-hospitalization experience for rural patients with chronic conditions, with findings supporting the importance of primary care engagement both before and after hospitalization. I now participate as a member of the West Virginia Rural Roots to Research Team, funded through the NIH Communities Advancing Research for Health (CARE for Health) Program with an overall goal of increasing clinical trial participation in rural primary care. My overall career goal is to identify effective, feasible, and scalable ways to manage chronic conditions in rural populations—including through innovative healthcare delivery models such as Transitions of Care programs—via clinical and implementation science studies, including clinical trials.

Grants and Research

• Co-Investigator, “High Risk Follow-Up: Interdisciplinary Telemedicine Transition of Care” (WVU Department of Medicine Innovation Award) (2020–2021)
• Principal Investigator, “Improving Post-Hospitalization Outcomes For Rural Populations,” WVCTSI Research Scholar Program (2024–2026)
• Co-Investigator and Co-Lead Community of Practice Core, West Virginia Rural Roots to Research, CARE for Health (PI Hodder, NIH 3OT2OD038378-01S2) (2024– 2026)
• Morgantown Site Co-Principal Investigator, “Treat to Target Serum Urate Versus Treat to Avoid Symptoms” (NIH/NIAMS 1U01AR080985-01A1) (2025–2028)
• Principal Investigator, “Qualitative Education for Rural Medical Learners (WVU Department of Medicine Innovation Award) (2026–2027)

Publications

Publications

• Thayer J, Bias T.  Exploring the impact of Medicaid expansion on West Virginia’s primary care system. West Virginia Medical Journal 2016 [doi:  10.21885/wvmj.2016.13]
• Thayer J, Miller B, Liriano MM, Hoffman KL, Thompson J, Baugh G, Sizemore. The post-hospitalization huddle: An interprofessional education model for clinical telemedicine. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice 2025; 41: 100774 [PMID 41409177; PMCID PMC12707798; doi: 10.1016/j.xjep.2025.100774]
• Thayer J, Miller B, Liriano MM, Hoffman K, Baugh G, Sizemore J. Intensive Telemedicine Transitions of Care Clinic: A Prospective Feasibility Study of a Novel Ambulatory Model Serving Appalachian Patients. Journal of Appalachian Health 2025;7:95-104. [PMID 40964411; PMCID PMC12440305; doi: 10.13023/jah.0703.07]
• Boatman D, Kennedy-Rea S, Mason J, Thayer J, Reece R, Bailey J, Hansen S, Norton C, McCoy M, Hodder S. Designing communication strategies to increase rural participation in clinical trials using the Health Belief Model and strategic communication. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications 2026; 50: 101610. [PMID: 41727416; PMCID PMC12917387; doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2026.101610]

National Abstracts

• Thayer J, Thompson J, Manivannan M, “Time and Type: Association of Time and Visit Type to Initial Transitions of Care Appointment Following Hospital Discharge as a Risk for Emergency Room Presentations and 30-Day Hospital Readmissions.” Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting, 2024.
• Thayer J, Thompson J, Stout N, McCartney C, Sheppard B, Reece R. “A Retrospective Analysis of Post-Hospitalization Outcomes for Patients Admitted with Chronic Conditions.” Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting, 2025.
• Lewis W, Mason J, Thayer J. “Trouble Shooting Clinical Trials in Rural Primary Care, The Solution Center.” Practice Based Research Network (PBRN) Conference, 2025.
• King K, Thompson J, Thayer J. “Rural Patient Outcomes Following a Chronic Condition Hospitalization.” Society of Hospital Medicine Converge Annual Meeting, 2026.
• King K, Thayer J. “Transitional Care Management and 30-Day Rehospitalizations in Patients with Chronic Conditions.” Society of Hospital Medicine Converge Annual Meeting, 2026.
• Thayer J, Mason J, Kennedy-Rae S, Reece R, Lewis W, Hodder S. “Utilization of Community of Practice for Impactful Participation of Rural Primary Care Sites in Clinical Trials.” National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence, 2026.

Presentations

• "Initiation of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in a Rural Hospital during the SARS-Cov-2 Pandemic" National Rural Health Association, Annual Conference May 1, 2022
• "Interprofessional Telemedicine Education" Academy for Professionalism in Healthcare June 1, 2022
• "Intensive Telemedicine Follow-up After Discharge from a Rural Hospital" Rural Health Association Annual Conference October 1, 2022
• "Recurrent Hydropneumothorax and Cavity Nodules Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis" WV ACP Conference November 1, 2022
• "Intensive Interdisciplinary Telemedicine Transitions of Care" WV ACP Conference November 1, 2022
• "Intensive Interdisciplinary Telemedicine Transitions of Care" National Rural Health Association May 1, 2023
• "A Multi-Faceted Intervention to Reduce 30-Day Heart Failure Readmissions for Academic Medicine Teams" WVU Healthcare Safety, Quality, and Experience Improvement Research Day February 1, 2024
• "Implementation and Evaluation of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Rural Mid-Atlantic Community Hospital" Society of General Internal Medicine May 1, 2024
• "Association of Time and Visit Type to Initial Transitions of Care Appointment Following Hospital Discharge as a Risk for Emergency Room Presentations and 30-Day Hospital Readmissions" Society of General Internal Medicine May 1, 2024
• "A Multi-faceted Approach to Reduce 30-Day Heart Failure Readmission Rates Amongst RMH Academic Medicine Teams" WV ACP Chapter Meeting November 1, 2024
• "A Retrospective Analysis of Post-Hospitalization Outcomes for Patients Admitted with Chronic Conditions" Society of General Internal Medicine May 1, 2025
• "Trouble Shooting Clinical Trials in Rural Primary Care, The Solution Center" Practice Based Research Network (PBRN) Conference June 2, 2025