Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University

Institute for Healthcare Studies
Northwestern University
750 North Lakeshore Drive
10th Floor
Chicago, IL 60611

Telephone 312-503-5594
Fax          312-503-2777

Email:  Dorothy Dunlop

Dr. Dunlop is a health services researcher with expertise in statistical methodology. She co-authored a book on statistical methodology. Her research interests include the prevention of disability and understanding the consequences of arthritis and other musculoskeletal disorders in older adults.  Her work is focused on the public health and economic benefits of physical activity for adults with arthritis.  

Dr. Dunlop is the principal investigator on an NIH funded study that investigates  the Effect of Physical Activity Guidelines on Arthritis-Related Disability and an Arthritis Foundation funded study to investigate Physical Activity in Persons with Rheumatic Disease: Health and Utility Cost,  In these studies, she and her colleagues including Drs. Rowland Chang, a rheumatologist/ clinical epidemiologist, and Larry Manheim, a health economist, are investigating the impact low physical activity levels on function and its associated medical costs in older adults with arthritis in the context of an ongoing NIH funded clinical trial on Physical Activity Management.

Dr. Dunlop is also the principal investigator on an NIH funded study that investigates the Effect of Physical Activity on Disability Progression in Knee OA.  This study uses objectively measured physical activity (by accelerometers) to evaluate if increased levels of moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity reduces disability progression in persons having or at high risk for developing knee OA.

Recent Journal Publications

Dunlop DD. Regression for Longitudinal Data:  A Bridge from Least Squares Regression. The American Statistician. 1994;48:299 - 303.

Dunlop DD, Hughes SL, Manheim LM. Disability in activities of daily living: patterns of change and a hierarchy of disability. Am J Public Health. Mar 1997;87(3):378-383.

Sharma L, Song J, Felson DT, Cahue S, Shamiyeh E, Dunlop DD. The role of knee alignment in disease progression and functional decline in knee osteoarthritis. JAMA. 2001;286(2):188-195.

Dunlop DD, Manheim LM, Song J, Chang RW. Health care utilization among older adults with arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 2003;49(2):164-71.

Dunlop DD, Manheim LM, Yelin EH, Song J, Chang RW. The cost of arthritis (Invited paper). Arthritis Rheum 2003;49(1):101-13.

Dunlop DD, Song J, Manheim LM, Chang RW. Racial disparities in joint replacement use among older adults. Med Care 2003;41(2):288-98.

Dunlop DD, Song J, Lyons JS, Manheim LM, Chang RW. Racial/ethnic differences in rates of depression among preretirement adults. Am J Public Health 2003;93(11):1945-52.

Dunlop DD, Lyons JS, Manheim LM, Song J, and Chang RW.  Arthritis and Heart Disease as Risk Factors for Depression: The Role of Functional Limitations. Med Care 2004; 42 (6): 502-511.

Dunlop DD, Lyons JS, Manheim LM, Song J, and Chang RW.  Incidence of disability among preretirement adults: the impact of depression. Am J Public Health. Nov 2005;95(11):2003-2008.

Dunlop DD, Semanik P, Song J, Manheim LM, Shih V, and Chang RW.  Risk Factors for Functional Decline Among Older Adults with Arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatism 2005;52(4): 1274-82.

Song J, Chang RW, and Dunlop DD.   The Population Impact of Arthritis on Disability in Older Adults. Arthritis Rheum Apr 15 2006;55(2):248-255.

Chang A, Hurwitz D, Dunlop D, Song J, Cahue S, Hayes K, Sharma Ll. The relationship between toe-out angle during gait and progression of medial tibiofemoral osteoarthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. Jan 31 2007.

Dunlop DD, Song J, Daviglus ML, Manheim LM, and Chang RW.  Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Development of Disability among Older Adults. Am J Public Health. Dec 2007;97(12):2209-2215.

Dunlop DD, Manheim LM, Song J, Sohn M-W, Feinglass JM, Chang H-J, and Chang RW.  Age and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Arthritis-Related Hip and Knee Surgeries. Medical Care. 2008;46(2):200-208.

Book

Tamhane AC, Dunlop DD. Statistics and Data Analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall; 2000.