Jessica Bing Ying Poon
Hello, my name is Jessica Poon (she/her) and I'm a research fellow in the Delivery Science Fellowship Program at the Division of Research of Kaiser Permanente. I am broadly interested in studying decision-making as a way to understand human behavior in complex adaptive systems. The ultimate goal of this work is to support patients and physicians in cancer management decisions, integrating considerations of physical, social, and mental well-being. I primarily use survey data in my work, especially patient experiences of care and patient-reported outcomes.
I first studied decision-making at UC Berkeley where I received a BA with honors in Biology and Philosophy: I examined decision-making through the lens of function and survival on the one hand and, on the other hand, as a matter of identity and society. These perspectives came together poignantly in my work on health outcomes research and quality improvement at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. As I witnessed patients and physicians navigate decisions that impacted their health, identity, and their relationship with one another, I learned to appreciate the importance of the organizational context in shaping and supporting those choices. So, I returned to UC Berkeley to study for a Health Policy PhD on the Organization and Management track at the School of Public Health where I came to conceptualize patient-centered care as a complex adaptive system. I currently study healthcare delivery as a research fellow at Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
In these tumultuous times, I have been thinking on this quote by saxophonist Steve Lacy, "There is a freshness, a certain quality which can only be obtained by improvisation… It is something to do with the "edge," always being on the brink of the unknown and being prepared for the leap. And when you go out there you have all your years of preparation and all your sensibilities and your prepared means but it is a leap into the unknown."
Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, gardening, art, and stand up comedy.
I first studied decision-making at UC Berkeley where I received a BA with honors in Biology and Philosophy: I examined decision-making through the lens of function and survival on the one hand and, on the other hand, as a matter of identity and society. These perspectives came together poignantly in my work on health outcomes research and quality improvement at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. As I witnessed patients and physicians navigate decisions that impacted their health, identity, and their relationship with one another, I learned to appreciate the importance of the organizational context in shaping and supporting those choices. So, I returned to UC Berkeley to study for a Health Policy PhD on the Organization and Management track at the School of Public Health where I came to conceptualize patient-centered care as a complex adaptive system. I currently study healthcare delivery as a research fellow at Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
In these tumultuous times, I have been thinking on this quote by saxophonist Steve Lacy, "There is a freshness, a certain quality which can only be obtained by improvisation… It is something to do with the "edge," always being on the brink of the unknown and being prepared for the leap. And when you go out there you have all your years of preparation and all your sensibilities and your prepared means but it is a leap into the unknown."
Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, gardening, art, and stand up comedy.